£168 Find Cheap Flights from Melbourne to Darwin – Compare and Save

These are the earliest and latest flight times available from Melbourne Airport to Darwin:

• Earliest: departs at 08:40 and lands at 13:12
• Latest: departs at 21:50 and lands at 02:22.

The flight takes about 4h 32m.

Only Economy class is available on flights from Melbourne Airport to Darwin.

A direct flight from Melbourne Airport to Darwin takes 4h 32m, covering 1,945 miles.

No, a passport is not required for this domestic route, but you will need a real ID-compliant driver's license, a state ID, or another TSA-accepted form of identification.

Return flights from Melbourne Airport to Darwin range from £278 to £424, with an average of £337 over the past 12 months. Anything below £278 counts as a good deal.

Last-minute fares on this route (booked within 2 weeks of departure) run 22% above the route average of £337. Book 13 weeks before departure for the lowest fares.

On this route, stopover flights are cheaper than direct options on average. Stopover fares average £273 return via Coolangatta Gold Coast (OOL), compared with £333 for direct.

Virgin Australia is slightly above the route average for timely arrivals, while Qantas Airways has a lower on-time arrival rate. On-time arrival rates on Melbourne Airport to Darwin flights are:

• Virgin Australia: 86% on time
• Qantas Airways: 78% on time
• Jetstar: 67% on time

On average, flights on this route are punctual 77% of the time.

There is no standard. Checked bag policies vary by airline on this route. Most carriers charge £12–£75 for the first checked bag in Economy. Premium fares and elite status bookings typically include a free checked bag.

The Boeing 737-800 Passenger/BBJ2 (winglets) family is used most often on this route, operated mainly by Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia. Other aircraft seen on the route include Airbus A320-100/200 variants.

Morning is the busiest departure period on Melbourne Airport to Darwin flights, with 50% leaving in that window. Afternoon departures account for 50%, Evening flights for 0%, and Night flights for 0%.

One-way fares from Melbourne Airport to Darwin are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about £196, which is 6% below the typical average for this route.

Darwin Airport (DRW) hosts 5 major car hire companies, with daily rates starting from around £11 for economy cars. Top options include:
• Bargain Car Rentals
• East Coast Car Rentals
• Thrifty
• Budget
• Dollar

Flights from Melbourne Airport to Darwin usually depart from Melbourne (MEL) and arrive at Darwin (DRW).

Evening flights have the fewest delays on this route. Delays tend to pile up throughout the day as one late flight pushes the next, so earlier departures are usually more reliable.

A flight is considered delayed when it departs 15 minutes or more after its scheduled time. This is the standard used by the US Department of Transportation and most airline industry reporting. On the Melbourne Airport to Darwin route, 23% of flights were delayed in the past 3 months, with delays averaging 1 hour 36 minutes.

One-stop flights from Melbourne Airport to Darwin most commonly connect through:

• Brisbane (BNE) – 83% of one-stop connections
• Adelaide (ADL) – 9% of one-stop connections
• Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD) – 4% of one-stop connections
• Denpasar Bali Ngurah Rai (DPS) – 2% of one-stop connections

Brisbane (BNE) handles the largest share of one-stop connections on this route.

On the Melbourne Airport to Darwin route, being flexible with your departure day can save you up to 14%. Saturday is the cheapest day at £322 return on average, while Tuesday is the most expensive at £372 – a £50 difference. Cheaper weekend fares like these are typical of routes dominated by weekday business travel.

3 airlines operate flights between Melbourne Airport and Darwin. The airlines offering direct flights on this route include:

• Qantas Airways
• Jetstar
• Virgin Australia

Flying via Brisbane (BNE) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time of 7h 53m, compared to 8h 22m via Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD) and 9h 43m via Adelaide (ADL).

Among airlines operating Melbourne Airport to Darwin flights:

• Virgin Australia: offers free seat selection
• Qantas Airways: offers free seat selection

Extra legroom and free seat selection availability depends on fare class and route.

Here are some options for this route, based on selected ticket types and cabin classes:

• Virgin Australia: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class
• Jetstar: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class
• Qantas Airways: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class

Bag allowance can vary by ticket type, cabin class, route, and airline, so travellers should check the fare details before booking.

There is no public bus departing directly from Darwin Airport, but within a 5–15min walk, you can board the BusLink to Darwin centre. Tickets for the bus lie at approximately A$ 3–7, depending on how long you want the ticket to be valid. The closest bus stop to the airport is at Charles Eaton Drive, about 5min away.

One who wants to rent a car for their time in Darwin does not have to bother with public transport and can head straight to the many car hire desks in the Arrivals Hall. Just outside the baggage claim area, you find a variety of providers, including Avis, Hertz, and Thrifty, among many others.

Smoking is only permitted in a few areas and not possible once passengers have passed through the security screening. In general, it is difficult to find clearly marked smoking areas throughout the airport building, so it is best-advised to refrain altogether or inquire about safe smoking places at the information desk in the Departures Hall.

Melbourne Tullamarine offers a wide range of shops, including high-street brands like Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Emporio Armani. As part of their Shop & Collect policy, you can leave your purchases at Melbourne Airport and collect them when you return, so you don’t have to account for extra luggage space beforehand.

Darwin International Airport is merely 15min by car away from the centre of Darwin and about 10min from Charles Darwin National Park. The quickest route into the city leads via Bagot Road and Tiger Brennan Drive.