Airnorth launches Australia’s longest one-stop domestic flight from Perth to Cairns

Home
»
Stories
»
2025
»
April

GLOBAL INDUSTRY NEWS

Qatar Airways In Talks To Buy 20% Of Virgin Australia - Airline Ratings

Boeing Will Buy Spirit AeroSystems For $4.7 Billion In Stock & Airbus Enters $559 Million Agreement For Its Parts

Bombardier Global Jet Production Stops in Toronto as Union Workers Strike | AIN

Justice Department To Offer Boeing a Plea Deal Related to Max Crashes

Plane diverted to Brazil after turbulence injures 30

Global Industry News

Airnorth launches Australia’s longest one-stop domestic flight from Perth to Cairns

Policy

Airnorth | Official Website

By Sky Industry News

Apr 24, 2025

The regional airline Airnorth has initiated a new domestic service that spans from Perth to Alice Springs, continuing on to Cairns. This new route marks Australia's longest one-stop, single-flight transcontinental service, utilizing Embraer aircraft, specifically the E190, although the E170 may be substituted on occasion. The journey takes approximately 6 hours and 5 minutes, including a brief stop in Alice Springs.

As per ch-aviation's data, Airnorth operates a fleet of 12 aircraft. The fleet includes four 100-seat E190s, three 76-seat E170s, and five 30-seat E120s. All aircraft are configured for economy class only. The E190s, the newest addition to their fleet, are leased from Alliance Airlines and were originally delivered to different carriers, including JetBlue and Austria's Niki.

The service, inaugurated on April 14, augments Airnorth's existing operations in the Northern Territory, replacing some previously served routes by Qantas until recent years. The Alice Springs to Cairns segment had been unserved since 2020 following QantasLink's withdrawal.

Get the Newsletter

Sign-up to receive weekly round up of news from Sky Industry News

By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By providing your phone number you are opting in and consenting to receive recurring SMS/MMS messages, including automated texts, to that number from our short code. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to end. SMS opt-in will not be sold, rented, or shared.

Flights between the three cities are scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Passengers from Perth depart for Alice Springs, then proceed to Cairns on flight TL361, with the reverse journey on flight TL362. Specific local departure and arrival times are set to allow for the necessary layovers and aircraft rotations at each location.

This venture is part of a wider list of domestic routes within Australia, including other long flights recorded from May to December according to data from Cirium Diio and OAG. Virgin Australia's charter flight between Brisbane and Karratha currently tops the list, although some may choose to exclude such operations from general lists of longest domestic routes.

Additionally, historical data over the last two decades indicate various other long domestic routes that have been served across Australia, driven largely by the energy and mineral industries. However, these do not surpass certain current routes in distance, highlighting the evolving nature of Australia's domestic flight landscape.