VA1297 MelbourneMEL · 16:35 CairnsCNS · 19:05
VA1297 by Virgin Australia Regional Airlines flies from Melbourne (MEL) to Cairns (CNS) for the Wed, Oct 28 departure.
departs MEL · on schedule
board checked 78m ago · checking again in 45s
Where the minutes go
last 3 operations · gate push → arrivalThe bar is how late it left the gate; the ring is where it actually arrived. Board clocks, not estimates.
The route today
live boardsWeather lens
Delay & cancellation outlook for this flight
Measured, 90-day sampleConditions at MEL and CNS are near their clear-air norm right now, so this reflects the route's recent baseline rather than a weather penalty. For this route and airline, under conditions like today's, over the last 90 days.
Pro Flight Search tracking, 90 days · the weather × delay correlation study → · live weather risk by airport →
Tomorrow on this route
ForecastMelbourne to Cairns with Virgin Australia Regional Airlines · Thu 29 Oct, local date
- Chance a departure is cancelled
- 0.3%1.6× usual
- Chance a departure leaves 60+ min late
- 3.3%0.9× usual
Forecast: WeatherTomorrow · incl. data from ECMWF (CC BY 4.0, modified) · About 2 departures a day on this route with this airline. · Expected values for tomorrow from a forecast model, kept apart from today's measured figures.
When it flies
scheduled departuresEach mark is a scheduled departure at its origin-local time. Today is highlighted.
Other Melbourne to Cairns flights today
same route · Virgin Australia Regional AirlinesIf VA1297 is cancelled, these are the other Virgin Australia Regional Airlines nonstop flights from Melbourne to Cairns on the same day, with scheduled departure times in MEL local time. Most flights posting a delay still operate — rebooking usually only beats a very large posted delay. Every airline on this route →
How VA1297 actually runs
Pro Flight Search has tracked every published board update for VA1297 across the MEL and CNS boards: schedule changes, gate pushes and actual clocks. Early read — pattern not clear yet. Only 3 completed legs so far: departed +25 min. Not enough to call it.
The verdict above is that record speaking, so it reflects how VA1297 operates rather than what the timetable promises. Numbers refresh as new flights operate.
How this operation is measured
Board log
scheduled → actual, per operationAircraft
Recent tails: VH-VUT, VH-YFT.
Board clocks recorded as MEL and CNS published them.
Planning around VA1297? Will a delayed flight be cancelled? · Do planes make up time in the air? · How we measure
Journalists, bloggers, and researchers may cite this page with attribution and a link to Pro Flight Search.
Pro Flight Search — VA1297 Melbourne to Cairns on-time performance, measured from the MEL and CNS airport boards.
https://proflightsearch.com/flight/VA1297