12 February 2026
With the summer travel season in full swing, Esendex’s latest research has revealed which Australian airports, territories, and flight routes are the most affected by delays – and which are the most reliable for travellers.
In 2025, 63.77 million passengers travelled through Australian airports across more than 674,700 flights. With a third of Australians seeing this travel as critical to their wellbeing, flight reliability plays a key role in the overall experience.
The thrill of jetting off to a new destination can quickly be overshadowed by the frustration of flight delays, which can dampen the vacation mood, as well as adding unexpected costs and travel itineraries at risk.
In the past year, operational errors, staffing shortages and weather issues have led to widespread delays and cancellations, leaving passengers stranded or missing connecting flights. While some delays are unavoidable, certain routes and airports are more prone to delays than others.
Australia’s busiest airport, Sydney, recently experienced its worst disruption since the pandemic due to an ongoing staff shortage. As a result, airlines like Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar cancelled at least 50 flights and added hours to others’ travel time.
Failing to properly notify customers of cancellations has had further consequences for airlines in the past, with Qantas fined $100 million after some passengers waited up to 67 days to be informed of disruptions.
To avoid fines and increased customer dissatisfaction, airlines need to be clear, consistent, and prompt with flight updates. SMS solutions and SMS automations can help keep passengers informed during delays and cancellations while reducing pressure on frontline teams.
To understand which airports and routes are most likely to face disruption for passengers, we analysed hundreds of domestic and international flight routes from Australia’s busiest airports over the past year, to assess the best and worst places to fly from for a positive travel experience.
Which State or Territory is the most delayed for domestic travel?
The research revealed that the risk of flight delays can vary greatly across Australia. Whether it’s due to differences in regional infrastructure or local demand, travel experience is far from evenly distributed across the country’s airports.
| State | % Early flights | % On time flights | % Early and on time | % Delayed flights |
| WA | 0.00 | 69.47 | 69.47 | 30.53 |
| NT | 3.13 | 71.88 | 75.00 | 25.00 |
| SA | 0.00 | 81.25 | 81.25 | 18.75 |
| NSW | 0.00 | 92.56 | 92.56 | 7.44 |
| TAS | 14.29 | 78.57 | 92.86 | 7.14 |
| VIC | 16.67 | 76.44 | 93.10 | 6.90 |
| QLD | 0.00 | 97.44 | 97.44 | 2.56 |
| ACT | 0.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 0.00 |
Western Australia airports performed the worst with domestic flights delayed 30% of the time. Airports in the Northern Territory followed closely, with a quarter of flights delayed on average.
Airports in South Australia and New South Wales experienced the third and fourth highest proportion of delayed flights, with 19% and 7% of flights delayed, respectively.
Australian Capital Territory airports are the most reliable for travellers, with all routes arriving early or on-time. Queensland is the next most reliable state, with just 3% of flights delayed on average.
Which Australian airports are the most delayed for domestic travel?
| Region | Home Airport | Avg. delayed route duration | % Early flights | % On time flights | % on time & early | % Delayed flights |
| WA | Broome International Airport | 0:16 | 0.00 | 60.00 | 60.00 | 40.00 |
| NT | Darwin Airport | 0:31 | 6.25 | 68.75 | 75.00 | 25.00 |
| NT | Alice Springs Airport | 0:27 | 0.00 | 75.00 | 75.00 | 25.00 |
| WA | Perth Airport | 0:18 | 0.00 | 78.95 | 78.95 | 21.05 |
| SA | Adelaide Airport | 0:19 | 0.00 | 81.25 | 81.25 | 18.75 |
| TAS | Launceston Airport | 0:18 | 28.57 | 57.14 | 85.71 | 14.29 |
| VIC | Melbourne Airport | 0:15 | 0.00 | 86.21 | 86.21 | 13.79 |
| NSW | Newcastle Airport | 0:33 | 0.00 | 87.50 | 87.50 | 12.50 |
| QLD | Brisbane Airport | 0:23 | 0.00 | 94.87 | 94.87 | 5.13 |
| NSW | Sydney Airport | 0:15 | 0.00 | 97.62 | 97.62 | 2.38 |
| ACT | Canberra Airport | 0:16 | 0.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 0.00 |
| QLD | Gold Coast Airport | 0:31 | 0.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 0.00 |
| TAS | Hobart Airport | 0:27 | 0.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 0.00 |
| VIC | Avalon Airport | 0:18 | 33.33 | 66.67 | 100.00 | 0.00 |
Looking at the two busiest airports in each state, Broome International is revealed as the worst-performing airport for domestic flight delays, with two-fifths (40%) of flights running behind schedule. The average delay time of flights from Broome is 16 minutes, with its worst performing route being Broome – Fitzroy Crossing, averaging 18-minute delays.
The busiest airports in the Northern Territory, Darwin and Alice Springs, are the next worst-performing, both seeing a quarter of their flights delayed. Average delays are 27 minutes at Alice Springs, rising slightly to 31 minutes at Darwin. On their worst-performing routes, delays increase to 37 minutes at Alice Springs and 46 minutes at Darwin.
In contrast, Avalon, Hobart, Gold Coast, and Canberra airports perform best overall, with 100% of flights arriving early or on time across the routes analysed. New South Wales’ busiest airport, Sydney, follows, seeing 98% of flights early or on time – though its worst-performing route, Sydney – Narrabri, averaged delays of 15 minutes.
Most delayed domestic flight routes
| Home Airport | Destination Airport | Airline | Flight Code | Average Scheduled Arrival | Average Actual Arrival | Time Delayed (Hours:Minutes) |
| Darwin Airport | Groote Eylandt Airport, Australia | Air North | TL406 | 16:53:02 | 17:39:12 | 0:46 |
| Alice Springs Airport | Perth Airport, Australia | Air North | TL362 | 16:20:47 | 16:58:25 | 0:37 |
| Darwin Airport | Townsville Airport, Australia | Air North | TL182 | 14:41:43 | 15:18:29 | 0:36 |
| Newcastle Airport | Perth Airport, Australia | Qantas | QF1669 | 17:32:18 | 18:05:28 | 0:33 |
| Perth Airport | Kununurra Airport, Australia | Air North | TL331 | 15:44:51 | 16:11:17 | 0:26 |
| Adelaide Airport | Broken Hill Airport, Australia | Rex Airlines | ZL4846 | 18:31:53 | 18:57:06 | 0:25 |
| Brisbane Airport | Charleville Airport, Australia | Rex Airlines | ZL5742 | 16:10:00 | 16:34:29 | 0:24 |
| Darwin Airport | Elcho Island Airport, Australia | Air North | TL216 | 13:42:20 | 14:05:57 | 0:23 |
| Brisbane Airport | Weipa Airport, Australia | Alliance Airlines | QQ7240 | 11:25:00 | 11:47:07 | 0:22 |
| Launceston Airport | Melbourne Airport, Australia | Qantas | QF2074 | 14:50:00 | 15:08:54 | 0:18 |
| Adelaide Airport | Coober Pedy Airport, Australia | Rex Airlines | ZL4486 | 12:40:47 | 12:59:11 | 0:18 |
| Broome International Airport | Fitzroy Crossing Airport, Australia | Aviair | GD9505 | 12:35:09 | 12:53:30 | 0:18 |
| Darwin Airport | Melbourne Airport, Australia | Jetstar | JQ675 | 22:35:17 | 22:51:20 | 0:18 |
| Alice Springs Airport | Tennant Creek Airport, Australia | Airnorth | TL251 | 14:25:13 | 14:43:04 | 0:17 |
| Perth Airport | Esperance Airport, Australia | Rex Airlines | ZL2375 | 15:50:42 | 16:06:32 | 0:15 |
| Perth Airport | Carnarvon Airport, Australia | Rex Airlines | ZL2416 | 9:14:50 | 9:30:39 | 0:15 |
| Melbourne Airport | Canberra International Airport, Australia | Qantas | QF1564 | 20:38:13 | 20:53:52 | 0:15 |
| Sydney Airport | Narrabri Airport, Australia | FlyPelican | FP771 | 7:25:38 | 7:41:15 | 0:15 |
| Perth Airport | Albany Airport, Australia | Rex Airlines | ZL2125 | 13:20:04 | 13:35:35 | 0:15 |
| Broome International Airport | Perth International Airport, Australia | Qantas | QF1655 | 16:44:32 | 16:59:45 | 0:15 |
| Adelaide Airport | Cedun Airport, Australia | Rex Airlines | ZL4134 | 15:41:25 | 15:56:29 | 0:15 |
According to the report, Australia’s most delayed domestic flight is from Darwin to Groote Eylandt, where passengers experience an average delay of 46 minutes. Flights from Alice Springs – Perth rank second worst for delays, averaging 37 minutes, followed by Darwin – Townsville, averaging 36 minutes.
Other routes also show significant delays, with multiple flights departing from Darwin and Brisbane running behind schedule. All of the top 10 most delayed domestic routes are connections between regional airports and major cities, highlighting that passengers experience the longest travel delays outside the main capital routes.
Earliest domestic flight routes
The report also highlighted the airports with routes arriving early, ahead of schedule by 15 minutes or more, giving passengers peace of mind that they will get to where they need to be within plenty of time.
The biggest time gain appears on the Avalon – Brisbane route, where flights are arriving around 32 minutes early on average. Not far behind is Launceston – Perth at 24 minutes early, followed by Launceston – Brisbane with arrivals about 19 minutes ahead of schedule. These longer cross-country routes seem to benefit most from built-in schedule buffers.
| Home Airport | Destination Airport | Airline | Flight Code | Average Scheduled Arrival | Average Actual Arrival | Time Arrived Early (Hours:Minutes) |
| Avalon Airport | Brisbane Airport, Australia | Jetstar | JQ634 | 20:38:00 | 20:05:59 | 0:32 |
| Launceston Airport | Perth Airport, Australia | Virgin | VA1509 | 21:43:16 | 21:19:10 | 0:24 |
| Launceston Airport | Brisbane Airport, Australia | Jetstar | JQ754 | 16:44:56 | 16:25:28 | 0:19 |
| Darwin Airport | McArthur River Airport, Australia | Air North | TL112 | 8:30:31 | 8:15:00 | 0:15 |
Most delayed international routes
For international travellers, Australia’s most delayed flight is from Brisbane to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, facing an average delay of 27 minutes.
Next comes Perth – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Sydney – Christchurch, New Zealand (19 min), followed by Perth – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Brisbane – Honiara, Solomon Islands (18 min). Of the most delayed flights, Melbourne appears most frequently as the departure point.
| Home Airport | Destination Airport | Airline | Flight Code | Average Scheduled Arrival | Average Actual Arrival | Time Delayed (Hours:Minutes) |
| Brisbane Airport | Port Moresby Jacksons International Airport, Papua New Guinea | Air Niugini | PX4 | 15:34:00 | 16:01:08 | 0:27 |
| Melbourne Airport | Delhi Airport, India | Air India | AI309 | 4:29:57 | 4:55:31 | 0:25 |
| Perth Airport | Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Vietnam | VietJet Air | VJ92 | 15:36:47 | 15:55:50 | 0:19 |
| Sydney Airport | Christchurch International Airport, New Zealand | Qantas | QF139 | 23:22 | 23:41:30 | 0:19 |
| Perth Airport | Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia | Malaysia Airlines | MH126 | 7:54:30 | 8:12:54 | 0:18 |
| Brisbane Airport | Honiara International Airport, Solomon Islands | Qantas | QF357 | 15:10:03 | 15:28:19 | 0:18 |
| Melbourne Airport | Los Angeles International Airport, USA | Qantas | QF93 | 7:31:58 | 7:47:17 | 0:15 |
| Melbourne Airport | Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport, Sri Lanka | SriLankan Airlines | UL605 | 22:31 | 22:46:12 | 0:15 |
Top earliest international flight routes
It’s not all bad news, as our analysis also pinpointed international flight routes that consistently beat their scheduled arrival times – providing travellers with extra time to disembark and relax after a long flight.
| Home Airport | Destination Airport | Airline | Flight Code | Average scheduled arrival time | Actual time | Time difference (Hours: Minutes) |
| Brisbane Airport | Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China | China Eastern Airlines | MU716 | 19:31:11 | 18:51:11 | 0:40 |
| Perth Airport | Hamad International Airport, Qatar | Qatar Airways | QR901 | 5:12:27 | 4:39:13 | 0:33 |
| Sydney Airport | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China | China Southern Airlines | CZ602 | 14:51:12 | 14:18:31 | 0:32 |
| Perth Airport | Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand | Thai Airways International | TG482 | 22:24:14 | 21:52:06 | 0:32 |
| Melbourne Airport | Hamad International Airport, Qatar | Qatar Airways | QR989 | 22:44:31 | 22:12:49 | 0:31 |
| Melbourne Airport | Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand | Thai Airways International | TG462 | 5:51:26 | 5:20:05 | 0:31 |
| Melbourne Airport | Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore | Singapore Airlines | SQ218 | 5:23:39 | 4:59:08 | 0:24 |
| Brisbane Airport | Dubai International Airport, UAE | Emirates | EK431 | 10:18:27 | 9:54:10 | 0:24 |
| Brisbane Airport | Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan | EVA Air | BR316 | 5:10:45 | 4:47:46 | 0:22 |
| Perth Airport | Johannesburg International Airport, South Africa | South African Airways | SA281 | 5:16:14 | 4:56:22 | 0:19 |
| Sydney Airport | Los Angeles International Airport, USA | Delta Air Lines | DL40 | 6:04:51 | 5:45:06 | 0:19 |
| Melbourne Airport | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China | China Southern Airlines | CZ322 | 18:08:27 | 17:50:06 | 0:18 |
| Sydney Airport | Haneda Airport, Japan | ANA | NH890 | 20:29:18 | 20:12:04 | 0:17 |
| Perth Airport | Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China | China Southern Airlines | CZ320 | 7:27:58 | 7:11:47 | 0:16 |
| Perth Airport | Narita International Airport, Japan | ANA | NH882 | 8:22:32 | 8:06:29 | 0:16 |
Flights from Brisbane to Shanghai in China top the list, running an impressive 40 minutes ahead of the scheduled arrival time on average.
Flights from Melbourne to Doha in Qatar come second, achieving an average early arrival time of 33 minutes. The third-earliest flight route was from Perth to Guangzhou, China, typically seeing passengers arrive 32 minutes earlier than scheduled.
The most and least reliable Australian airports for international travel
| Home Airport | % of delayed flights | % On-time flights | % of early Flights | % On-time & early flights |
| Melbourne Airport | 14.29 | 66.67 | 19.05 | 85.71 |
| Perth Airport | 11.11 | 61.11 | 27.78 | 88.89 |
| Brisbane Airport | 10.00 | 75.00 | 15.00 | 90.00 |
| Sydney Airport | 5.00 | 70.00 | 25.00 | 95.00 |
Of the four busiest airports for international travel – Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney – Melbourne Airport operated the most delayed international flights in the past year, with 14% arriving late by 15 minutes or more.
Sydney Airport ran the fewest late flights, emerging as the most reliable airport for international travel, with 95% of flights running on time or early and just 5% arriving late.
Since the rollout of Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) in 2025, improvements in network predictability and delay reduction have helped smooth traffic flows at major airports. Perth’s daily departure delays have fallen by over 85%, Brisbane’s on-time performance improved by nine points, and Sydney saw smoother traffic flows during constrained operations.
This increased reliability of routes and airports matters to passengers, enhancing the overall travel experience as passengers consistently value punctuality and transparency when travelling by air.
Jonathan Walsh, General Manager at Esendex Australia, commented on the findings:
“Holidays are usually a time to kick back and relax, but travel disruptions can be extremely stressful. Not only does it ruin your mood, but it can also have a knock-on effect on your other plans – people can end up missing connecting flights, particularly when it comes to international travel.
“Our analysis sheds light on the current operational strengths and challenges within the aviation industry, underscoring the importance of reliability and efficiency in air travel. Passengers need to trust that their airlines can get them to their destinations promptly and with minimal disruption and that if there are delays, they are clearly communicated and handled efficiently.
“By introducing automated SMS solutions, like SMS API and Bulk SMS, airports and airlines can not only enhance customers’ travel experiences but also handle any sudden delays or challenges smoothly and effectively. Clearly communicating and providing automated and timely updates also frees up staff to handle other value-add tasks to resolve issues as they arise.”
Want to understand how disruptions can be communicated effectively? Check out our SMS Solutions for Transport and Logistics here.
Methodology
Esendex analysed all domestic routes from the top two airports in each territory (South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory only had one viable airport analysed), totalling 185. Esendex also analysed the 20 most popular international flight routes from Australia’s four busiest airports, totalling 80 routes. Common flight routes and codes were identified using FlightsFrom.com, with historical flight performance analysed via Flightradar24 to compare scheduled and actual arrival times over the past year. On-time performance was measured against scheduled arrival times (15-minute threshold).
Data correct as of January 2026.
