Airport guide
Cairns AirportIATA code CNS
Cairns Airport (CNS/YBCS) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Cairns, Australia in Oceania. The airfield connects travelers with essential regional transit routes and operating carrier options.
- Serves
- Cairns, Australia
- Codes
- CNS · YBCS
- IATA · ICAO
- Time zone
- Australia/Brisbane
- Region
- Oceania
Cairns Airport (CNS/YBCS) is the primary air passenger gateway serving Cairns, Australia in Oceania. Operating on Australia/Brisbane local time at coordinates -16.880°, 145.750°, the airfield functions as an active commercial transit hub for scheduled regional and international flights. Travelers navigating Cairns Airport (CNS) are encouraged to confirm terminal layouts, ground transport connections into Cairns, and flight schedules with their operating carrier prior to travel.
Cairns Airport details
- IATA code
- CNS
- ICAO code
- YBCS
- City
- Cairns
- Country
- Australia
- Region
- Oceania
- Time zone
- Australia/Brisbane
- Coordinates
- -16.879°, 145.749°
- From OurAirports
Codes, region and time zone come from the Originfacts airport record (last updated 12 Jun 2026). Fields marked otherwise come from the dataset named on them. None are verified by hand against Cairns Airport’s own pages.
CNS airport facts
- Size class
- Large airport
- From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026); OurAirports’ own classification
- Elevation
- 3 m (10 ft)
- From OurAirports (5 Oct 2026)
- Passengers, 2022
- 3.81 million
- Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026), citing bitre.gov.au (opens in a new tab)
- Nearest airport with scheduled flights
- Cooktown Airport CTN · 171 km
- OurAirports scheduled-service flag; straight-line distance calculated
Runways at CNS
Source: OurAirports (opens in a new tab) runways data (public domain), retrieved 5 Oct 2026. Not an aeronautical source — not for navigation.
One open runway, lit. The runway 15/33: 3,197 m, asphalt. OurAirports also lists 1 closed runway, not shown.
| Runway | Length | Width | Surface | Lighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15/33 | 3,197 m10,489 ft | 45 m | asphalt | Lit |
Routes from CNS
Originfacts does not track any routes from CNS yet, so no route records are listed here. Check current schedules with the airlines or the airport’s own site.
Airlines with a hub at CNS
Per Wikidata (opens in a new tab) (retrieved 5 Oct 2026): airlines whose “airline hub” property names CNS, with no end date and not recorded as dissolved. Community-edited; hubs change.
Where CNS is
5.9 km north-northwest
Cairns Airport lies 5.9 km north-northwest of Cairns city centre in a straight line. Road distance is longer; transport options are not yet verified (see terminals and transport below).
Calculated from the airport coordinates (OurAirports) and the Wikidata (opens in a new tab) city-centre point.
Terminals, transport and parking at CNS
Terminal assignments, ground transport into Cairns, parking, lounges and accessibility services have not been verified against Cairns Airport’s own pages yet, so none are listed here.
Check directly:cairnsairport.com.au (opens in a new tab)Map of the airport location (opens in a new tab)
Before you travel
- Confirm your terminal with the operating airline.
- Check the check-in and bag-drop cut-off times on your booking.
- Allow extra time if you need to change terminals or check bags in again.
- Check your flight status before you leave for the airport.
Airports near Cairns
Straight-line distances calculated from each airport’s coordinates in the Originfacts airport records. Road distances are longer.
- CooktownCooktown AirportCTN171 km
- Palm IslandPalm Island AirportPMK188 km
- TownsvilleTownsville AirportTSV286 km
- KowanyamaKowanyamaKWM454 km
- HughendenHughendenHGD467 km
- Edward RiverEdward RiverEDR493 km
- ProserpineWhitsunday Coast AirportPPP498 km
- NormantonNormanton AirportNTN505 km
- Hamilton IslandHamilton Island AirportHTI512 km
Cairns Airport: common questions
Where is Cairns Airport?
Cairns Airport serves Cairns, Australia. Its coordinates in OurAirports are -16.879°, 145.749°.
What are the airport codes for Cairns Airport?
The IATA code is CNS and the ICAO code is YBCS.
What time zone is CNS in?
Cairns Airport is in the Australia/Brisbane time zone.
What is the official website of Cairns Airport?
The airport’s official website is cairnsairport.com.au. For questions about a booking, contact the operating airline.
How many runways does Cairns Airport have?
OurAirports lists one open runway at CNS: 15/33 (3,197 m (10,489 ft), asphalt).
When did Cairns Airport open?
Wikidata gives 1936 as its official opening date.
How many passengers use Cairns Airport?
Wikidata records 3.81 million passengers for 2022, the latest year it holds.
Which airlines have a hub at CNS?
Wikidata lists CNS as a hub of Jetstar Airways, National Jet Express, Rex Airlines, SmartLynx Australia and Sunstate Airlines.
How far is CNS from Cairns city centre?
Cairns Airport is about 5.9 km north-northwest of Cairns city centre in a straight line, calculated from coordinates. The distance by road is longer.
What is the elevation of Cairns Airport?
OurAirports gives CNS’s elevation as 3 m (10 ft) above sea level.
Sources
Nothing on this page is verified by hand yet. Each section comes from the dataset below, with its date where the dataset has one. Terminal, transport and parking details are left out until they can be read from Cairns Airport’s own pages.
- Codes, location, time zoneOriginfacts airport record12 Jun 2026
- Official websiteWikidata record (official website property) (opens in a new tab)5 Oct 2026
- Coordinates, runways, type, elevationOurAirports (opens in a new tab) — public domain5 Oct 2026
- Opening, operator, passengers, hubsWikidata item Q474632 (opens in a new tab) — CC05 Oct 2026
- Distance to city centreCalculated from airport coordinates and the Wikidata (opens in a new tab) city-centre point—
- Nearby airportsCalculated from airport coordinates—
- Terminals and transportNot yet verified—
Background reading:Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)