Cairns Airport (IATA: CNS, ICAO: YBCS) is an international airport in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Formerly operated by the Cairns Port Authority, the airport was sold by the Queensland Government in December 2008 to a private consortium. It is the seventh busiest airport in Australia. The airport is located 2.3 nautical miles (4.3 km; 2.6 mi) north northwest of Cairns or 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of the Cairns central business district, in the suburb of Aeroglen. The airport lies between Mount Whitfield to the west and Trinity Bay to the east.

The airport has direct flights to 10 international and 35 domestic destinations and many general aviation flights including a number of helicopter operators. Flights are operated to all major Australian cities and tourist destinations, regional communities in Far North Queensland, and a number of international destinations in the Asia-Pacific region with connections to the rest of the world. The airport formed the main base for Australian Airlines prior to its ceasing of operations in June 2006 (the airport remains a major port for parent company Qantas). It is also a base for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the search and rescue helicopters of the Queensland Government. In the 12 months ending 30 June 2019, Cairns Airport had just over 5 million passengers.

Cairns Airport goes back to 1928 when Tom McDonald started flying his de Havilland Gipsy Moth off a sand ridge near the present airport. He could only land and take off between high tides. During one emergency, McDonald was forced to take off from beer barrels.

During World War II, the Australian Government bought the airport for use by the Royal Australian Air Force. In 1943, the main runway was hard surfaced and lengthened to handle military aircraft. It was also used by the United States Army Air Forces as a transport base, with the 33d Troop Carrier Squadron (374th Troop Carrier Group) operating from the base during 1942. In 1949, the main runway was lengthened to 1,730 m (5,680 ft) to accommodate larger aircraft. During the mid-1960s, the airport was upgraded and the runway further lengthened to 2,020 m (6,630 ft) and strengthened so jets could land.

During the 1970s, Australia's two domestic airlines Trans Australia Airlines and Ansett provided regular scheduled services to most Australian capital cities and also Papua New Guinea, while in 1975 Air Niugini became the first international airline to commence flights out of Cairns, to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. In 1982, redevelopment of the airport commenced. This involved further lengthening of the runway to 2,600 m (8,500 ft) (making it the longest runway in Queensland) and construction of a new terminal building. The first stage of the redevelopment was finished in 1984 and a dual International and Domestic Terminal was opened. At the end of the decade the second stage of redevelopment was completed. This included a new separate International Terminal, associated aprons and taxiways, costing an estimated $80 million. The main runway was again extended, to 3,196 m (10,486 ft). In 1997, the third stage of redevelopment was completed, during which a three-storey Airport Administration Centre was constructed providing 4,000 m (43,000 sq ft) of office space.

A$200 million redevelopment of the Domestic Terminal started in August 2007 and was completed in 2010. Check-in facilities were expanded into a common-user facility for all airlines, and the building enlarged. Five new jet bridges replaced the existing three old bridges. In January 2010, Auckland International Airport Limited announced that it had purchased 24.6 per cent of North Queensland Airports (NQA), operator of the airports at Cairns and Mackay, for about $132 million.

A further upgrade of the Domestic Terminal was begun in 2019 and completed in August 2020, at a total cost of $55 million. The purpose of the upgrade was to prepare the terminal to handle the domestic portion of the airport's projected 6 million passengers annually from 2027. The floor area of the departure hall was increased to 10,000 m (110,000 sq ft), and an additional 2,000 m (22,000 sq ft) of dining and retail facilities were added. The upgrade also included expanded seating areas, a new interactive children's play screen, an upgraded Parenting Room, and a new Quiet Room.

Prior to February 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, Cairns Airport's chief aviation officer Luis Perez told the Cairns Post that he was in talks with 22 airlines to connect Cairns to destinations such as North America, Korea, Taipei, Malaysia, the Middle East, India, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Virgin Australia announced in December of that same year that they would be commencing a daily direct service to Tokyo-Haneda to be launched on 28 June 2023 with the newly arrived Boeing 737 Max 8 fleet.

In early 2023, it was announced that the International Terminal (Terminal 1) would undergo its first major upgrade in April 2023 to a value of AUD$40–50 million. The announced upgrades would be rolled out in stages to 'minimise passenger disruptions', the first of which would feature the installation of four new glass air-bridges and the re-cladding of the exterior of the building.

In December of 2023 the airport, like all of greater Cairns, was greatly affected by the severe weather during and in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Jasper forcing it to close for several days. In March 2024 it was announced that both Cairns and Mackay Airports would run on 100% renewable energy sources from 2025.

The airport has two passenger terminals on the eastern side of the airport on reclaimed mangrove swamp. They are approximately 6 km (3.7 mi) north of the Cairns Central Shopping Centre and situated on Airport Avenue off Sheridan Street (Captain Cook Highway). The terminals are in separate buildings 200 m (660 ft) from one another. The Domestic Terminal is number 2, and has five jet bridges and 17 gates. The International Terminal is number 1, and has six jet bridges and ten gates in total.

The airport has a single runway (15/33) which is 3,156 m (10,354 ft) long. The flight path to the north of the main runway is located directly overhead Cairns' northern beach suburbs. The flight path to the south is located directly over central Cairns. A smaller (925 m (3,035 ft)) runway 12/30 that was used for general aviation lies to the east; its final approach crossed the main runway. As of April 2011 this runway was closed and had been converted to a helipad area.

Airlines	Destinations
Air New Zealand	Seasonal: Auckland
Air Niugini	Moro, Port Moresby
Airnorth	Darwin, Gove
Alliance Airlines	Groote Eylandt, Weipa Charter: Century Mine, Cloncurry, Trepell
Asia Pacific Airlines	Charter: Tabubil
Cathay Pacific	Seasonal: Hong Kong (resumes 17 December 2024)
China Eastern Airlines	Seasonal: Shanghai–Pudong
Hinterland Aviation	Cooktown, Kowanyama, Pormpuraaw, Coen, Lockhart River
Indonesia AirAsia	Denpasar
Jetstar	Adelaide, Brisbane, Christchurch (begins 1 April 2025), Denpasar, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Osaka–Kansai, Perth, Sunshine Coast (begins 3 December 2024), Sydney, Tokyo–Narita Seasonal: Newcastle
PNG Air	Charter: Lihir Island, Port Moresby
Qantas	Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney
QantasLink	Adelaide, Ayers Rock, Brisbane, Darwin, Horn Island, Mackay, Moranbah, Rockhampton, Townsville, Weipa Seasonal: Canberra
Rex Airlines	Burketown, Doomadgee, Mornington Island, Mount Isa, Normanton, Townsville
Singapore Airlines	Singapore
Skytrans	Aurukun, Bamaga, Horn Island, Kowanyama, Lockhart River, Pormpuraaw, Proserpine
Virgin Australia	Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Tokyo–Haneda (ends 24 February 2025) Seasonal: Perth

Airlines	Destinations
Qantas Freight	Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville
Toll Aviation	Brisbane, Darwin, Sydney, Townsville
Virgin Australia Cargo	Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville

There are operators of emergency medical retrieval and rescue services based at the airport, including Emergency Management Queensland and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Annual passenger statistics for Cairns Airport

Year	Domestic	International	Total	Change
1998	1,915,717	688,058	2,603,775	-2.2%
1999	2,022,908	660,659	2,683,567	3.1%
2000	2,132,713	680,133	2,812,846	4.8%
2001	2,025,193	665,118	2,690,311	-4.4%
2002	2,087,643	766,256	2,853,899	6.1%
2003	2,246,566	746,561	2,993,127	4.9%
2004	2,582,591	846,846	3,429,437	14.6%
2005	2,842,947	862,184	3,705,131	8.0%
2006	2,967,077	791,709	3,758,786	1.4%
2007	3,066,414	702,048	3,768,462	0.3%
2008	3,153,171	595,461	3,748,632	-0.5%
2009	3,133,393	404,803	3,538,196	-5.6%
2010	3,254,097	495,873	3,749,970	6.0%
2011	3,361,097	504,072	3,865,169	3.1%
2012	3,569,195	511,359	4,080,554	5.6%
2013	3,754,331	492,091	4,246,422	4.1%
2014	3,857,399	460,910	4,318,309	1.7%
2015	3,975,309	545,733	4,521,042	4.7%
2016	4,208,221	642,293	4,850,514	7.3%
2017	4,278,311	662,173	4,940,484	1.9%
2018	4,283,247	662,551	4,945,798	0.1%
2019	4,126,357	651,824	4,778,181	-3.4%
2020	1,587,304	119,221	1,706,525	-64.3%
2021	2,312,189	2,490	2,314,679	35.6%
2022	3,672,627	135,262	3,807,889	64.5%
2023	3,842,622	322,541	4,292,670	11%
2024	3,990,199	610,638	4,733,965	9%

Domestic aviation activity into and out of Cairns Airport 2022

Rank	Airport	Number of passengers	% change
1	Brisbane	1,136,610	12.3%
2	Sydney	844,909	238.3%
3	Melbourne	814,524	160.5%

Busiest international routes – Cairns Airport (year ending 30 June 2024)

Rank	Airport	Passengers handled	% change
1	Tokyo	255,481	135.5%
2	Osaka	147,297	113.1%
3	Singapore	78,719	48.7%
4	Denpasar	54,890	70.9%
5	Port Moresby	37,360	31.2%
6	Auckland	23,929	1.9%

Busiest International freight routes of Cairns Airport (*route suspended) (2019)

Rank	Airport	Freight handled (tonnes)	% change
1	Hong Kong, Hong Kong	1678.9	49
2	Japan, Tokyo-Narita	1156.2	54
3	Japan, Osaka-Kansai	309.9	60
4	Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby	252.4	15
5*	China, Shenzhen	145.5	60
6*	China, Guangzhou	108.3	60
7	New Zealand, Auckland	68.2	20
8	Singapore, Singapore-Changi	33.5	100

Taxi

Ranks are located near both the International and Domestic Terminals. Cairns Taxis taxi ranks are located immediately outside the International and Domestic Terminals.

Bus

Airport shuttle bus services to hotels, city centre, Northern Beaches, Palm Cove, Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation are available.

Parking

Short-term and long-term parking, including a covered car park and parking for people with a disability are located within the public carparks adjacent to both the Domestic and International Terminals.

• United States Army Air Forces in Australia (World War II)
• Transportation in Australia
• List of airports in Queensland

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Media related to Cairns Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website