Regulatory status
FAA IASA: Category 1 — meets ICAO standards — as of 18 Apr 2025
Full regulatory status →Quick facts
- Airports
- 149
- Scheduled routes
- 1,168
- Top airlines
- 10
- Outbound countries
- 8+
- Most-competitive route
- MEL → DPS · 6 carriers
Top airports in Australia
| # | Airport | IATA | Routes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sydney | SYD | 188 | Departures → |
| 2 | Melbourne | MEL | 138 | Departures → |
| 3 | Brisbane | BNE | 137 | Departures → |
| 4 | Perth | PER | 86 | Departures → |
| 5 | Cairns | CNS | 56 | Departures → |
| 6 | Adelaide | ADL | 52 | Departures → |
| 7 | Darwin | DRW | 33 | Departures → |
| 8 | Coolangatta (Gold Coast) | OOL | 29 | Departures → |
| 9 | Canberra | CBR | 22 | Departures → |
| 10 | Townsville | TSV | 19 | Departures → |
Top airlines based in Australia
| # | Airline | IATA | Routes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qantas | QF | 288 | Network → |
| 2 | Jetstar | JQ | 179 | Network → |
| 3 | Virgin Australia | VA | 146 | Network → |
| 4 | Rex Airlines | ZL | 128 | Network → |
| 5 | Airnorth | TL | 39 | Network → |
| 6 | Link Airways | FC | 37 | Network → |
| 7 | Skytrans | QN | 34 | Network → |
| 8 | Hinterland Aviation | OI | 33 | Network → |
| 9 | Aviair | GD | 24 | Network → |
| 10 | FlexFlight | W2 | 23 | Network → |
Most-competitive routes from Australia
Most-served international destinations
- Denpasar (DPS) · Indonesia — 8 carriers
- Auckland (AKL) · New Zealand — 6 carriers
- Singapore (SIN) · Singapore — 6 carriers
- Kuala Lumpur (KUL) · Malaysia — 6 carriers
- Christchurch (CHC) · New Zealand — 4 carriers
- Nadi (NAN) · Fiji — 4 carriers
- Queenstown (ZQN) · New Zealand — 4 carriers
- Los Angeles (LAX) · USA — 4 carriers
Aviation accidents in Australia
- 2026-09-07 — Beech Aircraft Corp A36 — 2 fatal
- 2026-08-25 — Beech Aircraft Corp 58 (Air Frontier Pty Ltd)
- 2026-08-25 — Airbus A320-232 (Jetstar Airways Pty Limited)
- 2026-08-18 — Airbus A321-271NY (Qantas Airways Limited)
- 2026-08-17 — The Boeing Company 737-8SA (Virgin Australia Airlines Pty Ltd)
- 2026-08-10 — Airbus A321-251NX (Jetstar Airways Pty Limited)
- 2026-08-09 — The Boeing Company 737-838 (Qantas Airways Limited)
- 2026-08-09 — Airbus A320-232 (Jetstar Airways Pty Limited)
- 2026-08-07 — Raytheon Aircraft Company B200 (Careflight Limited)
- 2026-07-27 — Bombardier Inc DHC-8-402 (Sunstate Airlines (Qld) Pty. Limited)
- 2026-06-24 — Amateur Built Aircraft Supermarine Spitfire — 1 fatal
- 2026-06-24 — Leonardo Helicopters AW139 (Northern NSW Helicopter Rescue Service Limited)
- 2026-06-24 — Cessna Aircraft Company 207 (Air Frontier Pty Ltd)
- 2026-06-04 — Embraer-Empresa Brasileira De Aeronautica ERJ 190-100 LR (Capiteq Pty Limited)
- 2026-05-25 — Airbus A321-251NX (Jetstar Airways)
- 2026-05-01 — Piper Aircraft Corp PA-32-260 (Wadjemup Aerial Service Pty Ltd)
- 2026-05-01 — Piper Aircraft Corp PA-32R-301
- 2026-04-29 — Diamond Aircraft Industries DA42 (Flight Training Adelaide Pty Ltd) — 2 fatal
- 2026-04-28 — Robinson Helicopter Co R44 (North Star Pastoral Pty Ltd)
- 2026-04-20 — Robinson Helicopter Co R22 Beta (B & T Philp Pty Ltd) — 1 fatal
Where Australia flies to
Frequently asked questions
How many airports are in Australia?
Australia has 149 airports in our dataset.
How many non-stop routes originate in Australia?
Australia has 1168 routes departing from its airports in our weekly dataset.
Which airlines operate most routes from Australia?
Top operators by route count: Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Rex Airlines, Airnorth.
Which is the busiest airport in Australia?
By scheduled-route count, Sydney (SYD) is the busiest airport in Australia with 188 routes departing.
What is the most-connected international destination from Australia?
Denpasar (DPS), Indonesia sees the most competition with 8 carriers serving it from Australia.
Which countries do Australia-based airlines fly to most?
Top outbound countries: New Zealand (59 routes), Indonesia (35 routes), China (32 routes), USA (22 routes), Singapore (19 routes).