Australia flag Darwin Airport (DRW)

Country Australia | Oceania | Regional Airport | IATA: DRW | ICAO: YPDN | Elevation 103 ft · 31 m | Local time —

Destinations
20
Flights / day
30
Busiest route
Brisbane
Top airline
Airnorth

Darwin Airport averages 30 flights per day to 20 destinations, with 16 domestic routes and four international routes. A total of eight airlines operate at DRW, led by Airnorth. This airport provides direct service to five countries across two continents, with Timor-Leste representing its largest international market. The longest nonstop route from Darwin connects to Guangzhou, with a typical flight time of 6 hr 30 mins. Updated: October 16, 2026

Route Network

Darwin Airport connects 20 destinations worldwide, with Brisbane standing out as its busiest route. The longest nonstop flight is to Guangzhou, and the shortest flight is to Groote Eylandt.

Australia flag Brisbane (BNE) – Australia 3 airlines
4 hr 25 mins
1,771 mi · 2,851 km
4
per day
Australia flag Sydney (SYD) – Australia 3 airlines
4 hr 50 mins
1,960 mi · 3,155 km
3
per day
Australia flag Melbourne (MEL) – Australia 3 airlines
4 hr 50 mins
1,946 mi · 3,132 km
3
per day
Australia flag Adelaide (ADL) – Australia 2 airlines
4 hr 15 mins
1,629 mi · 2,621 km
3
per day
Australia flag Perth (PER) – Australia 2 airlines
4 hr 30 mins
1,648 mi · 2,652 km
2
per day
Timor-Leste flag Dili (DIL) – Timor-Leste 3 airlines
2 hr 10 mins
451 mi · 726 km
2
per day
Australia flag Nhulunbuy (GOV) – Australia 1 airline
1 hr 40 mins
401 mi · 646 km
2
per day
Australia flag Alice Springs (ASP) – Australia 1 airline
2 hr 40 mins
812 mi · 1,306 km
2
per day
Australia flag Cairns (CNS) – Australia 1 airline
3 hr 0 mins
1,041 mi · 1,675 km
1
per day
Australia flag Kununurra (KNX) – Australia 1 airline
—
DRW → KNX
1
per day
Singapore flag Singapore (SIN) – Singapore 2 airlines
5 hr 25 mins
2,075 mi · 3,339 km
1
per day
Australia flag Groote Eylandt (GTE) – Australia 2 airlines
1 hr 35 mins
391 mi · 629 km
1
per day
Australia flag Maningrida (MNG) – Australia 1 airline
—
DRW → MNG
6
per week
Australia flag McArthur River Mine (MCV) – Australia 1 airline
—
DRW → MCV
6
per week
Indonesia flag Bali (DPS) – Indonesia 1 airline
3 hr 35 mins
1,096 mi · 1,764 km
5
per week
Australia flag Milingimbi Island (MGT) – Australia 1 airline
—
DRW → MGT
4
per week
Australia flag Elcho Island (ELC) – Australia 1 airline
—
DRW → ELC
3
per week
Australia flag Townsville (TSV) – Australia 1 airline
3 hr 15 mins
1,156 mi · 1,860 km
3
per week
China flag Guangzhou (CAN) – China 1 airline
6 hr 30 mins
2,745 mi · 4,417 km
1
per week
Australia flag Tennant Creek (TCA) – Australia 1 airline
—
DRW → TCA
1
per week

Route and destination data updated October 16, 2026.

Darwin Airport is served by eight airlines, with Airnorth in the lead at 31% of routes. The top three carriers together cover 75% of routes. four carriers operate only one route each. A total of six airlines operate international routes, compared with five airlines serving domestic routes. China Southern Airlines is operating the longest nonstop flight, connecting to Guangzhou with a flight time of 6 hrs 30 mins.

Airnorth (10 routes)
Qantas (9 routes)
Jetstar (5 routes)
Virgin Australia (4 routes)
Aero Dili Transport Services, S.A. dba aero dili (1 routes)
Singapore Airlines (1 routes)
Alliance Airlines (1 routes)
China Southern Airlines (1 routes)

Darwin Airport provides direct service to five countries across two continents. The route network is 80% domestic and 20% international. Timor-Leste is the primary international destination.

Australia - 26/day
Timor-Leste - 2/day
Singapore - 1/day
Indonesia - 1/day
China - 0/day

Delays

Global  Delays

Delay data is not available yet for this airport.

Delay data is not available yet for this airport.

Delay data is not available yet for this airport.

Global Rankings

Worldwide Position

Flights per day

#586 (30 flights/day)
Top 100 Busiest Airports in the World
Worldwide Position

Most destinations

#719 (20 destinations)
Top 100 Airports with Most Destinations

Runways

Runway Length Width Surface
11,024 ft 3,360 m 197 ft 60 m Asphalt
11,024 ft 3,360 m 197 ft 60 m Asphalt
5,007 ft 1,526 m 98 ft 30 m Asphalt
5,007 ft 1,526 m 98 ft 30 m Asphalt

Runway Length

2 aircraft cannot operate at Darwin Airport due to runway length constraints. The airport’s longest runway is 11,024 ft (3,360 m), which is below the typical takeoff or landing distance required by the aircraft listed here.

Aircraft Takeoff Landing
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde 11,250 ft 3,429 m 7,218 ft 2,200 m
McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71 11,499 ft 3,505 m 5,909 ft 1,801 m

Operational Context

Darwin (IATA: DRW) operates around 30 flights per day to 20 nonstop destinations. Its network includes 16 domestic and 4 international routes, with Airnorth as the leading carrier and Brisbane currently the busiest connection. From DRW, passengers can reach 5 countries across 2 continents, and the longest runway measures 3,360 m (11,024 ft).

Miscellaneous