Manchester to Cairns flight time & fare prices

Manchester to Cairns flights cost from £1,057, with a flight time of from 20 hours and 30 minutes. Beware, however, the scarily short layover in Singapore.

Flights from Manchester to Cairns are likely to be of interest to anyone from the north of England wanting to visit the Great Barrier Reef.

The far north Queensland town of Cairns is the main gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. It’s a very popular holiday destination for both domestic and overseas travellers.

Cairns brings Great Barrier Reef snorkelling cruises, World Heritage-listed rainforest adventures, glass bottom boat tours at Green Island and the Kuranda Scenic Railway into the mountains. To choose from a wide range of memorable Cairns tours and experiences, look here. To pick the Cairns accommodation best suited to you, book here.

Alas, there are limited options for getting to Cairns from the UK.

Save time queuing – Book these Cairns attractions in advance

From the air: Outer Reef helicopter flight | Sunrise hot air balloon ride | Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.
At night: Sunset dinner cruise | Pub and club tour | Aquarium by Twilight experience.
For wildlife: Birdworld Kuranda | Kuranda Koala Gardens | Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome | Cairns Aquarium | Rainforestation Nature Park
For culture: Cairns Museum tickets | Street art walking tour | City and surrounds highlights bus tour.
For thrills: AJ Hackett giant jungle swing | High speed jet boat tour | Barron Gorge white water rafting | Mulgrave River tubing.

Manchester to Cairns flight time

There are no direct flights from Manchester to Cairns. However, there is a one-stop option with Singapore Airlines via Singapore.

This Singapore Airlines flight is relatively short by Australian standards, too.

The Manchester to Cairns flight time is 20 hours and 30 minutes. However, it is a very short layover in Singapore – there’s just 50 minutes to change planes.

If everything is running on time, that’s great. But it only takes a small delay to make sure you miss your connecting flights.

Trip-booster! 8 great day trips from Cairns to power-up your holiday

Kuranda combo package – take the Kuranda Scenic Railway up and the Skyrail cable car down.
Green Island tours with beach time, glass bottom boat and snorkelling. (Or pick a Fitzroy Island trip instead).
Moore Reef day tour – with underwater observatory, snorkelling gear, glass bottom boat & semi-submersible cruises.
Great Barrier Reef snorkelling cruise – with snorkelling stops at two excellent spots on the Reef.
Cape Tribulation rainforest day tour – with Mossman Gorge Aboriginal cultural experience and Daintree River crocodile-watching cruise.
Atherton Tableland waterfalls and rainforest tour – including wildlife-spotting and a swim in a volcanic lake.
Outback 4WD tour – visiting Chillagoe Caves, Aboriginal rock art and Granite Gorge.

Search for discount deals here

Manchester to Cairns flight prices

Return fares on the Singapore Airlines flight from Manchester to Cairns cost from £1,268. That is flying in economy.

There are, however, dozens of options with two stops. Searching with Kayak for flights in October, Australia Travel Questions found flights to Cairns from Manchester costing from £1,057.

Business class flights to Cairns can be hideously expensive, with one stop flights costing nearly £7,000 return.

However, if you shop around a little, two stop flights can be found for from £4,815.

The cheapest time of year for flights from the UK to Australia tends to be November.