Find flights
Deals
Airlines
Travel Guide

$106+ Cheap flights to Cairns

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a Cheapflights user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight departing on 16/6. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel.
— CNS
5 May — 12 May1
1 adult

Flights to Cairns in 2025

Find the latest flights to Cairns in 2025, with up-to-date prices and availability. In the last 7 days, Cheapflights users made a total of 647,157 searches and data was last updated on 30 April 2025.

Return from

$205

One-way from

$106

Popular in

December

Cheapest in

March

Average price

$401

Good round-trip deal

$238 or less

Good one-way deal

$122 or less
Jetstar
  • Jetstar
  • 16/6-18/6
  • Nonstop
  • 6h 00m total
  • Sydney to Cairns
Jetstar
  • Jetstar
  • 9/6
  • Nonstop
  • 3h 05m total
  • Sydney to Cairns
Highest demand for flights based on searches. 9% potential increase in price ($55 potential increase over avg. return price).
Cheapest flight prices on average. 3% potential price decrease ($17 potential savings vs. average return price).
Average for return flights in April 2025
Price to beat on a round-trip flight from Sydney Kingsford Smith to Cairns.
Price to beat on a one-way flight from Sydney Kingsford Smith to Cairns.

Find flight deals to Cairns

Cheapest flights to Cairns
Explore the most affordable flight options available to Cairns. Find the lowest fares based on data from user searches, with prices last updated on 30 April 2025.

Mon 16/619:45SYD - CNS
Nonstop3h 05mJetstar
Wed 18/619:00CNS - SYD
Nonstop2h 55mJetstar
Deal found 29/4$205
Wed 7/508:10SYD - CNS
Nonstop3h 15mMultiple Airlines
Sun 1/606:45CNS - SYD
Nonstop3h 00mMultiple Airlines
Deal found 28/4$240
Thu 28/808:10SYD - CNS
Nonstop3h 15mVirgin Australia
Mon 1/913:50CNS - SYD
1 stop4h 20mVirgin Australia
Deal found 28/4$333

Cheapflights Fare Finder

Locate flights to Cairns that fit your budget, with regularly updated fares and availability. In the last 7 days, Cheapflights users made a total of 647,157 searches and data was last updated on 30 April 2025.
Use the filters below to find and compare flights to Cairns that are best for you.

Fly from

Sydney

Route

Depart

Return

Price

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Mon 16/6

19:45-22:50

Nonstop3h 05m

Cairns

Wed 18/6

19:00-21:55

Nonstop2h 55m

$205

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Mon 28/7

19:45-22:50

Nonstop3h 05m

Cairns

Fri 1/8

19:15-22:10

Nonstop2h 55m

$258

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Thu 28/8

08:10-11:25

Nonstop3h 15m

Cairns

Mon 1/9

13:50-18:10

1 stop4h 20m

$333

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Mon 16/6

19:45-22:50

Nonstop3h 05m

$106

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Sun 15/6

08:10-11:25

Nonstop3h 15m

$136

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Sun 18/5

11:25-17:10

1 stop5h 45m

$283

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Sun 3/8

06:00-11:05

1 stop5h 05m

$361

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Mon 14/7

17:55-13:45

2 stops19h 50m

$941

SydneyCairns

SYD - CNS

SYDCNS

Sydney Kingsford Smith

Mon 16/6

07:50-13:45

2 stops29h 55m

$949

Flights are sorted by cheapest return flights first.

Deals found on 29/4

Best time to book a flight to Cairns

Have a flexible travel schedule? Discover the best time to fly to Cairns with our price prediction graph.
Estimated return price
Rates are based on past data. Find the cheapest month and day to book your flight based on your travel requirements, then search for cheap deals.

Cheapflights Insights

Everything you need to know about your flight to Cairns

When is the best time to book a flight to Cairns?

Use this chart to determine the optimal time to book a return flight from Sydney to Cairns. Price data was last updated on 25 April 2025.

The best time to book flights to Cairns is 62 days before your desired departure date. The cost of your flight will likely increase significantly if you book two weeks in advance of your flight.

How long is the flight to Cairns?

On average, a flight from Sydney to Cairns takes 3 hours 5 minutes. Flights to Cairns from other popular cities in Australia will vary in length. Below are a few examples of popular routes and their flight times.

When is the cheapest time to fly to Cairns?

Use this chart to determine the cheapest time to fly return from Sydney to Cairns. Price data was last updated on 30 March 2025.

Users looking for the lowest fares to Cairns should consider flying on Wednesday afternoons, when prices are typically cheapest. Budget-minded travellers will want to avoid Thursday evenings, when prices are usually at their highest.

Weekly flight availability to Cairns

The most flights from Sydney to Cairns are scheduled on a Monday (39 on average). You will have fewer flight options on Sunday, which is when the least amount of flights are scheduled (27 on average).

What are the cheapest airlines that fly to Cairns?

The cheapest airlines flying from Sydney to Cairns are Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Qantas Airways.

Rainfall in Cairns by month

Plan your trip to Cairns by taking into account the average rainfall totals by month.

In terms of precipitation, rainfall in Cairns ranges from 20.0 - 430.0 mm per month. March is typically the wettest month, when rainfall can reach 430.0 mm. July is typically the driest time to visit Cairns when rainfall is around 20.0 mm.

Temperature in Cairns by month

Plan your trip to Cairns by taking into account the average temperature totals by month.

If weather is an important factor for your trip to Cairns, use this chart to help with planning. For those seeking warmer temperatures, January is the ideal time of year to visit, when temperatures reach an average of 27.0 C. Travellers hoping to avoid the cold should look outside of June, when temperatures are typically at their lowest (around 21.0 C).

Reviews of airlines servicing Cairns

Get insights into the airlines that provide service to Cairns. Read reviews, discover amenities, and learn about the overall travel experience offered by airlines. Use this information to make informed decisions when choosing an airline for your flight to Cairns. Reviews last updated 30 April 2025.
Read reviews from past customers who have flown Air New Zealand, Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia to Cairns. In addition to providing an overall rating, users have also rated airlines in terms of entertainment options, comfort, food, crew/service, and boarding process.

Overall

8.0

Comfort

8.0

Crew

8.5

Boarding

8.2

Food

7.3

Entertainment

7.4

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Anonymous,Apr 2025

IAH - MSP

wish I didn't have to pay for wifi as I could not redeem my miles from my phone to pay for drinks

Overall

8.0

Comfort

8.0

Crew

8.5

Boarding

8.2

Food

7.3

Entertainment

7.4

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Anonymous,Apr 2025

IAH - MSP

wish I didn't have to pay for wifi as I could not redeem my miles from my phone to pay for drinks

Overall

8.0

Comfort

8.0

Crew

8.5

Boarding

8.2

Food

7.3

Entertainment

7.4

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Anonymous,Apr 2025

IAH - MSP

wish I didn't have to pay for wifi as I could not redeem my miles from my phone to pay for drinks

Overall

8.0

Comfort

8.0

Crew

8.5

Boarding

8.2

Food

7.3

Entertainment

7.4

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Anonymous,Apr 2025

IAH - MSP

wish I didn't have to pay for wifi as I could not redeem my miles from my phone to pay for drinks

Overall

8.0

Comfort

8.0

Crew

8.5

Boarding

8.2

Food

7.3

Entertainment

7.4

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Anonymous,Apr 2025

IAH - MSP

wish I didn't have to pay for wifi as I could not redeem my miles from my phone to pay for drinks

FAQs about flying to Cairns

  • What airport do you fly into for flights to Cairns?

    Most people fly into Cairns (CNS) if they book a flight to Cairns. Cairns is conveniently located just 4.4 km from Cairns’s city centre. There are 31 flights from Sydney to Cairns per day from 3 different airlines.

  • Can I find cheaper flights to Cairns if I am willing to have stopovers?

    Yes, flights with stopovers are often cheaper than direct flights. Keep an eye out for flight deals to Cairns on Cheapflights that require 1 or 2 stops for potential cost savings.

  • What is the best airline to fly to Cairns?

    Based on reviews from Cheapflights users, Rex is rated the highest out of the airlines that fly to Cairns.

  • What is the cheapest airport to fly to in Cairns?

    Cairns is currently the cheapest airport to fly to in Cairns. One-way flights to Cairns typically cost $85, while return flights cost around $113.

  • How much is a return flight to Cairns?

    A return flight to Cairns will typically cost around $162, however they can be found for as little as $73.

  • Where does the fastest flight to Cairns depart from?

    For those looking to save time traveling to Cairns, Townsville offers the quickest one-way flight (1 hour 0 minutes).

  • Does Cairns have car hire?

    Yes. Those touching down at Cairns can take advantage of the car hire services offered upon their arrival.

  • Are there hotels close to Cairns?

    Yes. Cairns has hotels nearby for those requiring accommodations. Homestay - Butterfly Haven is the closest property to Cairns (0.0 km away from Cairns).

See more FAQs

Travelling to a place near Cairns?

Book flights to Cairns if you plan to visit one of these locations
Trinity Beach
Mission Beach

Browse thousands of different options on Cheapflights for your next trip

Toggle through the tabs below to find thousands of options on Cheapflights for your next trip.

Fly with Cheapflights

Find the best flight deals on Cheapflights, where travellers can enjoy low prices and a wide availability of flights to their desired destinations.

How does Cheapflights help users find flights to Cairns?

Cheapflights makes it easy to find Cairns flights by helping our users search from 900+ travel sites for deals. We also provide you with filters for cabin, price, airline, airports, number of stops, and many more to narrow down that perfect flight.

Why should you use Cheapflights to find cheap flight tickets to Cairns?

Cheapflights simply makes it quick and affordable to book flights to Cairns by bringing together all flight options from hundreds of airlines and agencies online — and we put them in one place for you to choose from. Plus, Cheapflights is 100% free to use for all.

Can Cheapflights find flights to Cairns with no change fees?

Need flexible booking options for your flight to Cairns ? Don’t worry, Cheapflights have you covered. Use our search filter to only show flights with no change fees.

Can Cheapflights notify me if prices for flights to Cairns become cheaper?

Yes! Start tracking prices for Cairns flights today and get alerted when prices change. To subscribe and begin receiving alerts, click the bell icon next to the flight deals above and provide your email address.

100% Free

Cheapflights is completely free to use, so you can start saving the moment you arrive.

Book with Flexibility

Our users can plan ahead with confidence and find flights with no change fees

Travel Smart

Millions of people come to us for their flight needs every year. We help make travel planning easy by providing useful insights and data-driven graphs that can inform your decisions.