Flights from Australia
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Australian flight delays and cancellations, by route and airline
Every scheduled domestic flight in Australia is counted: whether it operated, and whether it left on time. The count is public and almost nobody reads it, so here it is as a page. It refreshes itself each month.
1.9% of Australia's 546,792 scheduled domestic flights were cancelled in the twelve months to September 2026, and 78.7% left on time. Skytrans Australia cancelled the most at 3.4% and Hinterland the fewest at 0.6%. The worst route was Canberra to Sydney at 5.3%.
Which airline cancels the most flights
Cancellations as a share of the flights each airline scheduled, over the last twelve months. The regional operators fly smaller aircraft into smaller airports, which is most of why their rates sit where they do.
| Airline | Cancelled | On time | Flights scheduled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skytrans Australia | 3.4% | 75.5% | 3,200 |
| QantasLink | 2.8% | 81% | 149,373 |
| Rex Airlines | 2.3% | 76% | 50,969 |
| Jetstar | 1.9% | 70.6% | 96,437 |
| Qantas | 1.6% | 82.6% | 83,350 |
| Virgin Australia | 1.2% | 78.4% | 141,581 |
| Hinterland | 0.6% | 94.4% | 18,977 |
Hinterland is the most punctual at 94.4% of departures on time, which is a different question from cancellations and often has a different answer. Hinterland carries the fewest passengers of the airlines listed here.
Cancellation rate is cancellations divided by flights scheduled. On-time rate is on-time departures divided by flights flown, because a flight that was cancelled cannot also have left late. Each direction is counted separately: Sydney to Melbourne and Melbourne to Sydney are different flights with different records.
The routes cancelled most often
The fifteen worst of the 92 routes BITRE reports individually. Short hops into a congested airport dominate the top of this list, which is the single most useful thing on this page if you are connecting.
The worst months to fly in Australia
March is the worst month to be booked on a domestic flight, at 3.5% cancelled, and September the safest at 1.8%. That is a real difference: on a busy route it is the gap between one cancelled flight in twenty and one in fifty. Read across three years rather than one, so a single bad storm season does not decide the answer.
Month by month, over the last two years
Every route, ranked
All 92 routes with at least 1,200 scheduled flights a year. Sort any column, or search for an airport.
92 of 92 routes shown
| Rank | Route | Cancelled | On time | Flights | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canberra to Sydney | 5.3% | 81.3% | 7,210 | 381 |
| 2 | Port Lincoln to Adelaide | 5% | 80.2% | 2,969 | 147 |
| 3 | Sydney to Canberra | 4.7% | 80.7% | 7,209 | 339 |
| 4 | Adelaide to Port Lincoln | 4.6% | 79.9% | 2,969 | 138 |
| 5 | Port Macquarie to Sydney | 4.6% | 76.4% | 2,062 | 94 |
| 6 | Sydney to Port Macquarie | 4.1% | 71.3% | 2,089 | 85 |
| 7 | Devonport to Melbourne | 4.1% | 77.6% | 1,250 | 51 |
| 8 | Canberra to Melbourne | 3.8% | 77.4% | 4,443 | 171 |
| 9 | Melbourne to Sydney | 3.7% | 78.3% | 24,886 | 911 |
| 10 | Sydney to Melbourne | 3.7% | 76.4% | 24,821 | 913 |
| 11 | Dubbo to Sydney | 3.6% | 75.2% | 2,501 | 90 |
| 12 | Sydney to Dubbo | 3.5% | 72.1% | 2,462 | 87 |
| 13 | Melbourne to Devonport | 3.5% | 70.1% | 1,250 | 44 |
| 14 | Gladstone to Brisbane | 3.3% | 85.9% | 1,947 | 64 |
| 15 | Melbourne to Canberra | 3.2% | 77.2% | 4,443 | 142 |
| 16 | Launceston to Melbourne | 3% | 69.9% | 3,626 | 108 |
| 17 | Mildura to Melbourne | 2.9% | 73.3% | 2,152 | 62 |
| 18 | Melbourne to Launceston | 2.6% | 65.1% | 3,628 | 95 |
| 19 | Coffs Harbour to Sydney | 2.6% | 75% | 2,280 | 60 |
| 20 | Brisbane to Gladstone | 2.5% | 83% | 1,941 | 48 |
| 21 | Brisbane to Sydney | 2.4% | 77.9% | 14,347 | 341 |
| 22 | Kalgoorlie to Perth | 2.4% | 74.8% | 2,216 | 53 |
| 23 | Melbourne to Mildura | 2.4% | 67.9% | 2,151 | 52 |
| 24 | Emerald to Brisbane | 2.4% | 90.3% | 1,700 | 41 |
| 25 | Sydney to Brisbane | 2.3% | 75.7% | 14,249 | 329 |
| 26 | Adelaide to Sydney | 2.3% | 77.3% | 6,784 | 158 |
| 27 | Sydney to Coffs Harbour | 2.3% | 69.9% | 2,258 | 52 |
| 28 | Brisbane to Melbourne | 2.2% | 76% | 12,038 | 263 |
| 29 | Sydney to Adelaide | 2.2% | 79.8% | 6,791 | 149 |
| 30 | Melbourne to Brisbane | 2.1% | 74.8% | 12,117 | 250 |
| 31 | Albury to Sydney | 2.1% | 78.8% | 1,989 | 41 |
| 32 | Rockhampton to Brisbane | 2% | 82.1% | 3,922 | 77 |
| 33 | Wagga Wagga to Sydney | 1.9% | 79.5% | 2,220 | 43 |
| 34 | Sydney to Albury | 1.9% | 72.7% | 1,997 | 38 |
| 35 | Brisbane to Emerald | 1.9% | 85.9% | 1,700 | 33 |
| 36 | Canberra to Adelaide | 1.9% | 86.7% | 1,400 | 26 |
| 37 | Sydney to Wagga Wagga | 1.8% | 74% | 2,217 | 41 |
| 38 | Perth to Kalgoorlie | 1.8% | 88.5% | 2,215 | 39 |
| 39 | Townsville to Brisbane | 1.7% | 81.6% | 4,361 | 75 |
| 40 | Port Hedland to Perth | 1.7% | 79.6% | 2,438 | 41 |
| 41 | Mackay to Brisbane | 1.6% | 86.2% | 4,018 | 66 |
| 42 | Adelaide to Brisbane | 1.6% | 79.9% | 3,889 | 62 |
| 43 | Karratha to Perth | 1.6% | 83.9% | 3,186 | 51 |
| 44 | Hobart to Sydney | 1.6% | 75.5% | 2,884 | 47 |
| 45 | Adelaide to Canberra | 1.6% | 87.6% | 1,402 | 23 |
| 46 | Launceston to Sydney | 1.6% | 70.7% | 1,276 | 20 |
| 47 | Perth to Sydney | 1.5% | 75.5% | 5,243 | 79 |
| 48 | Ballina to Sydney | 1.5% | 80.4% | 1,898 | 29 |
| 49 | Adelaide to Melbourne | 1.4% | 76.7% | 8,098 | 113 |
| 50 | Brisbane to Townsville | 1.4% | 81.9% | 4,364 | 59 |
| 51 | Gold Coast to Melbourne | 1.3% | 70% | 6,297 | 84 |
| 52 | Sunshine Coast to Sydney | 1.3% | 71.7% | 2,777 | 36 |
| 53 | Brisbane to Mackay | 1.2% | 82.2% | 3,968 | 48 |
| 54 | Brisbane to Adelaide | 1.2% | 80% | 3,883 | 46 |
| 55 | Canberra to Brisbane | 1.2% | 81.1% | 3,462 | 42 |
| 56 | Sydney to Hobart | 1.2% | 76.8% | 2,881 | 34 |
| 57 | Gold Coast to Sydney | 1.1% | 75.6% | 8,171 | 89 |
| 58 | Melbourne to Adelaide | 1.1% | 78% | 8,095 | 93 |
| 59 | Melbourne to Gold Coast | 1.1% | 75.2% | 6,291 | 71 |
| 60 | Cairns to Sydney | 1.1% | 78.2% | 2,793 | 32 |
| 61 | Perth to Port Hedland | 1.1% | 87.1% | 2,442 | 26 |
| 62 | Sydney to Ballina | 1.1% | 79.7% | 1,897 | 20 |
| 63 | Newcastle to Melbourne | 1.1% | 78.6% | 1,789 | 20 |
| 64 | Broome to Perth | 1.1% | 83.9% | 1,754 | 20 |
| 65 | Sydney to Perth | 1% | 73.5% | 5,391 | 53 |
| 66 | Brisbane to Rockhampton | 1% | 80.1% | 3,919 | 40 |
| 67 | Sydney to Gold Coast | 0.9% | 78.5% | 8,180 | 75 |
| 68 | Perth to Melbourne | 0.9% | 80.4% | 6,513 | 58 |
| 69 | Sydney to Sunshine Coast | 0.9% | 75.7% | 2,776 | 25 |
| 70 | Cairns to Melbourne | 0.9% | 70.7% | 2,195 | 20 |
| 71 | Melbourne to Newcastle | 0.9% | 77.3% | 1,787 | 16 |
| 72 | Sydney to Launceston | 0.9% | 73.9% | 1,270 | 11 |
| 73 | Hobart to Melbourne | 0.8% | 70.4% | 4,878 | 40 |
| 74 | Brisbane to Canberra | 0.8% | 82.2% | 3,463 | 28 |
| 75 | Perth to Karratha | 0.8% | 87.5% | 3,189 | 27 |
| 76 | Newman to Perth | 0.8% | 85.8% | 2,235 | 17 |
| 77 | Melbourne to Perth | 0.7% | 74.7% | 6,370 | 43 |
| 78 | Melbourne to Hobart | 0.7% | 70% | 4,876 | 34 |
| 79 | Sydney to Cairns | 0.6% | 77.7% | 2,793 | 17 |
| 80 | Perth to Brisbane | 0.5% | 77% | 3,844 | 21 |
| 81 | Newcastle to Brisbane | 0.5% | 81.2% | 2,619 | 13 |
| 82 | Brisbane to Newcastle | 0.5% | 80.8% | 2,616 | 12 |
| 83 | Perth to Adelaide | 0.5% | 87.4% | 2,447 | 13 |
| 84 | Adelaide to Perth | 0.5% | 80.9% | 2,444 | 11 |
| 85 | Sunshine Coast to Melbourne | 0.5% | 66.9% | 2,351 | 11 |
| 86 | Melbourne to Cairns | 0.5% | 72.5% | 2,194 | 11 |
| 87 | Perth to Broome | 0.5% | 84% | 1,756 | 9 |
| 88 | Cairns to Brisbane | 0.4% | 81.7% | 4,883 | 20 |
| 89 | Brisbane to Perth | 0.3% | 77.8% | 3,852 | 11 |
| 90 | Brisbane to Cairns | 0.2% | 79.8% | 4,881 | 11 |
| 91 | Melbourne to Sunshine Coast | 0.2% | 73.9% | 2,352 | 4 |
| 92 | Perth to Newman | 0.2% | 92.3% | 2,234 | 5 |
These 92 routes account for 76.3% of all scheduled domestic flights. BITRE reports the rest only as a national total, so a very small route will not appear here even if you fly it.
What you get when it is cancelled
Australia has no equivalent of the European rule that pays you a fixed sum for a long delay. What you are entitled to depends on your fare and on why the flight went, so the useful move is knowing which of the two you are in before you get to the desk.
The airline caused it
- Engineering, crew, or an aircraft out of position: under the Australian Consumer Law this is a failure to deliver the service, and you can ask for a refund or a rebooking.
- Ask for the next flight on any carrier, not just the next one on theirs. It is not automatic and it is frequently given when asked for.
- Most airlines will cover a meal, and a hotel if you are stuck overnight away from home. Their customer charters say so; hold them to it.
Weather, air traffic, or a strike
- Outside the airline's control, so there is no compensation. You still get a seat on a later flight or your money back.
- Domestic travel insurance is where the hotel and the missed night come from, and only if you bought it before the disruption was announced.
- If the cancelled flight was the leg to an international departure, the international ticket is a separate contract. That is the expensive version of this problem.
General information, not legal advice. The ACCC sets out your rights, and each airline publishes its own customer charter.
Flying overseas? Your connection is the risk
International flights out of Australia leave from a handful of airports. If you do not live in one of those cities, the flight that matters is the domestic one that gets you there, and that is the leg in the table above. Pick a destination to see which Australian airports fly there direct, how busy the route is, and which domestic connections into that airport get cancelled.
The busiest routes in Australia
Melbourne to Sydney is the single busiest domestic sector, with 24,886 scheduled flights a year, or about 68 a day in each direction.
| Route | Flights a year | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne to Sydney | 24,886 | 3.7% | 78.3% |
| Sydney to Melbourne | 24,821 | 3.7% | 76.4% |
| Brisbane to Sydney | 14,347 | 2.4% | 77.9% |
| Sydney to Brisbane | 14,249 | 2.3% | 75.7% |
| Melbourne to Brisbane | 12,117 | 2.1% | 74.8% |
| Brisbane to Melbourne | 12,038 | 2.2% | 76% |
| Sydney to Gold Coast | 8,180 | 0.9% | 78.5% |
| Gold Coast to Sydney | 8,171 | 1.1% | 75.6% |
| Adelaide to Melbourne | 8,098 | 1.4% | 76.7% |
| Melbourne to Adelaide | 8,095 | 1.1% | 78% |
| Canberra to Sydney | 7,210 | 5.3% | 81.3% |
| Sydney to Canberra | 7,209 | 4.7% | 80.7% |
Booking a domestic flight
The figures above tell you which route and which airline you are taking a chance on. This is where to book it once you have decided.
Fares are searched live and are not ours to quote, so these go straight to the search rather than showing a price that would be out of date by the time you read it. We earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you, and it does not change the figures above.
How these figures are put together
The source is the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics, which requires Australian domestic airlines to report, every month, how many flights they scheduled on each route, how many operated, how many left within 15 minutes of schedule and how many arrived within 15 minutes. It has done so since January 2004. We read the file published on data.gov.au rather than any summary of it.
Rates are calculated on the denominator each one belongs to. A cancellation rate divided by flights flown rather than flights scheduled would make an airline look better the more flights it cancelled, which is the error that turns this data into a press release.
A route needs 1,200 scheduled flights a year before it gets a page here. Below that a percentage swings on two or three cancellations and tells you nothing about what will happen to your flight. 92 routes clear the bar, covering 76.3% of all domestic flights. Airlines need 3,000, which is why some small operators appear in the national total but not in the table.
Nothing here is forecast or modelled. Every figure is a count of flights that have already happened, and the file is re-read each month, so a number that changes here changed because BITRE published a new month or revised an old one.
Contains BITRE data used under a CC BY 3.0 AU licence. Last refreshed 22 October 2026, covering data to September 2026. Our full list of sources is on the data sources page.
Use this data
Free to reuse, including commercially, with attribution. The underlying counts are BITRE's under a CC BY 3.0 AU licence; the derived figures here - rates, rankings and the month-by-month breakdown - are ours, on the same terms.
Download
- Everything as JSON
- Cancellation and on-time rates by route as CSV
- Cancellation and on-time rates by airline as CSV
Each file carries a data dictionary explaining what every field means and which denominator it uses.
Cite this page
Before You Fly (2026). Australian flight delays and cancellations. Derived from BITRE domestic airline on time performance data. Retrieved from https://beforeyoufly.com.au/flight-delays/
Australian flight delay FAQs
Which Australian airline cancels the most flights?
Skytrans Australia cancelled 3.4% of its scheduled domestic flights in the twelve months to September 2026, the highest rate of any major Australian carrier. Hinterland cancelled the fewest at 0.6%. Across all airlines 1.9% of the 546,792 scheduled domestic flights did not operate. The figures come from BITRE.
Which Australian airline is most on time?
Hinterland departed on time 94.4% of the time over the last twelve months, and Jetstar the least at 70.6%. On time means the aircraft pushed back within 15 minutes of its scheduled departure. The national average is 78.7%.
Which Australian flight route has the most cancellations?
Canberra to Sydney had the highest cancellation rate of any route BITRE publishes: 5.3% of its 7,210 scheduled flights were cancelled in the last twelve months. Perth to Newman was the most reliable at 0.2%.
What month has the most flight cancellations in Australia?
March is the worst month to fly domestically in Australia, with 3.5% of flights cancelled across the last three years. September is the best at 1.8%. The pattern follows storm season and school holiday peaks rather than any one airline.
Do I get compensation if my flight is cancelled in Australia?
Not automatically. Australia has no fixed-payment rule like the European one. If the airline caused the cancellation - engineering, crew, an aircraft out of position - the Australian Consumer Law entitles you to a refund or a rebooking, and most carriers will cover a meal and a hotel if you are stranded overnight. If it was weather, air traffic control or a strike, you get the later flight or your money back, and nothing else.
Where does this flight delay data come from?
The Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics, which collects on time performance from every Australian domestic airline each month and publishes it on data.gov.au under a Creative Commons licence. This page reads that file directly and refreshes when a new month is published. Figures were last refreshed on 22 October 2026 and cover the twelve months to September 2026.
What is actually worth booking.
New destination guides and side-by-side comparisons for Australian travellers - which eSIM, which travel card, which insurance is worth paying for, and what to sort before you go. Prices in Australian dollars, a few emails a year.