MEL → SYDMelbourne to Sydney

live

Direct flights from Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD): 21 nonstop departures observed each week across 3 airlines. 86% of the last 58 operated flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. The median arrival is on schedule. 5 of the 58 tracked flights were cancelled. The nonstop covers 705 km, an estimated 1 hour 24 minutes in the air. Measured by Pro Flight Search from live flight boards at Melbourne and Sydney. Updated 18 October 2026 at 02:38 UTC.

Today, MEL → SYD

Sun 18 Oct · local times
QF426QantasIn the air, 56 min late

Left MEL at 09:56, 56 min after its 09:00 slot.

Track QF426 →
  1. 06:00 JQ500Jetstar Left 05:55 Landed 07:15 −15
  2. 06:00 QF1514Qantas Left 06:06 +6 ·
  3. 06:45 JQ510Jetstar Left 06:41 Landed 07:56 −19
  4. 07:00 QF1260Qantas Left 07:14 +14 ·
  5. 07:00 VA811Virgin Australia Left 07:02 ·
  6. 07:30 JQ502Jetstar Left 07:38 +8 Landed 08:45 −15
  7. 07:30 VA815Virgin Australia Left 07:42 +12 ·
  8. 08:00 QF418Qantas Left 07:53 ·
  9. 08:00 VA819Virgin Australia Left 07:55 ·
  10. 08:15 JQ504Jetstar Left 08:10 Landed 09:29 −16
  11. 08:15 QF420Qantas Left 08:13 ·
  12. 08:30 VA823Virgin Australia Left 08:44 +14 ·
  13. 09:00 QF426Qantas Left 09:56 +56 ·
  14. 09:00 VA827Virgin Australia Left 09:02 ·
  15. 09:25 JQ508Jetstar Left 09:39 +14 Landed 10:45 −10
  16. 09:30 VA829Virgin Australia Left 09:30 ·
  17. 10:00 QF434Qantas Left 10:09 +9 ·
  18. 10:00 VA833Virgin Australia Left 10:02 ·
  19. 10:45 QF436Qantas Est. 10:45Departure not confirmed by the board ·
  20. 11:00 QF438Qantas Est. 11:00Departure not confirmed by the board ·
  21. 12:00 QF442Qantas Left 12:00 Landed 13:37 +12
  22. 12:00 VA841Virgin Australia Left 12:00 Landed 13:28 +3
  23. 12:15 JQ512Jetstar Est. 12:15Departure not confirmed by the board SYD est. 14:36 +56sched 13:40
  24. 12:15 JQ8994Jetstar Est. 12:15Departure not confirmed by the board ·
  25. 13:00 JQ514Jetstar Est. 13:00Departure not confirmed by the board SYD est. 14:15sched 14:25
  26. 13:00 QF446Qantas Est. 13:00Departure not confirmed by the board SYD est. 14:24sched 14:25
  27. 13:00 VA845Virgin Australia Est. 13:00Departure not confirmed by the board SYD est. 14:20sched 14:25
  28. 13:15 JQ536Jetstar Est. 13:15Departure not confirmed by the board SYD est. 14:44sched 14:40
  29. 13:30 VA847Virgin Australia On scheduleGate 8 · T3 SYD 14:55scheduled
  30. 13:55 JQ516Jetstar On scheduleGate 17 · T4 SYD 15:20scheduled
  31. 14:00 VA849Virgin Australia On scheduleGate 1 · T3 SYD 15:25scheduled
  32. 14:05 QF450Qantas On scheduleT1 SYD 15:30scheduled
  33. · JQ518Jetstar On schedule SYD 15:50scheduled
  34. · JQ520Jetstar On schedule SYD 16:25scheduled
  35. · JQ522Jetstar On schedule SYD 20:20scheduled
  36. · JQ524Jetstar On schedule SYD 18:55scheduled
  37. · JQ526Jetstar On schedule SYD 20:20scheduled
  38. · JQ528Jetstar On schedule SYD 20:40scheduled
  39. · JQ530Jetstar On schedule SYD 21:40scheduled
  40. · JQ532Jetstar On schedule SYD 22:15scheduled
  41. · QF454Qantas On schedule SYD 16:25scheduled
  42. · QF462Qantas Cancelled ·
  43. · QF466Qantas On schedule SYD 18:00scheduled
  44. · QF468Qantas On schedule SYD 18:15scheduled
  45. · QF470Qantas On schedule SYD 18:35scheduled
  46. · QF474Qantas On schedule SYD 18:55scheduled
  47. · QF476Qantas On schedule SYD 19:15scheduled
  48. · QF478Qantas On schedule SYD 19:40scheduled
  49. · QF480Qantas On schedule SYD 20:00scheduled
  50. · QF484Qantas On schedule SYD 20:20scheduled
  51. · QF486Qantas On schedule SYD 20:30scheduled
  52. · QF490Qantas On schedule SYD 21:15scheduled
  53. · QF498Qantas On schedule SYD 22:25scheduled
  54. · VA851Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 15:55scheduled
  55. · VA853Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 16:25scheduled
  56. · VA855Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 16:55scheduled
  57. · VA859Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 17:25scheduled
  58. · VA863Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 17:55scheduled
  59. · VA867Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 18:25scheduled
  60. · VA869Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 18:40scheduled
  61. · VA871Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 18:55scheduled
  62. · VA875Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 19:25scheduled
  63. · VA879Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 19:55scheduled
  64. · VA883Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 20:25scheduled
  65. · VA887Virgin Australia Cancelled ·
  66. · VA891Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 21:25scheduled
  67. · VA893Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 21:40scheduled
  68. · VA895Virgin Australia Cancelled ·
  69. · VA897Virgin Australia On schedule SYD 22:10scheduled

Checked MEL board 10:18 · SYD board 13:38

MEL Melbourne smooth · +3
SYD Sydney smooth · +0
705 km · ~1h 24m est.
dep bank 02:38–21:0021x weekly
Runs reliable · 3 airlines · 21x weekly · nonstop
86% on time

of the last 58 operated MEL → SYD flights arrived within 15 minutes

Median arrival delay is +1 min. 5 of 58 tracked legs cancelled in the sample. Will a delayed flight be cancelled? →

Median arrival+1 minacross the last 58 operated legs
Flight time~1h 24mestimated from route distance
Weekly departures21x3 direct airlines on the leg
Cancelled8.6%recent route rate · 5 of 58

The week

scheduled departures · origin local time
06121824
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Jetstar AirwaysQantas AirwaysVirgin Australia

Each mark is a scheduled departure at its origin-local time, observed operating in the last 7 days. Today is highlighted.

Who flies it

observed on the boards · 7 days
Jetstar AirwaysJQ94% on time

Flights JQ500 06:00 daily · JQ510 06:45 daily · JQ502 07:30 daily · JQ504 08:15 daily

Qantas AirwaysQF82% on time

Flights QF7228 varies Tu We Th Fr · QF404 06:15 Mo Tu We Th Fr · QF406 06:30 Mo Tu We Th Fr · QF408 06:45 Mo Tu We Th Fr

Virgin AustraliaVA83% on time

Flights VA803 06:00 Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa · VA807 06:30 Mo Th Fr · VA811 07:00 daily · VA813 07:15 Mo Tu We Th Fr

History

operated legs · board outcomes
10-18JQ500dep −5 → arr−15
10-18JQ502dep +8 → arr−15
10-18JQ504dep −5 → arr−16
10-18JQ508dep +14 → arr−10
10-18JQ510dep −4 → arr−19
10-18QF1260departed+14
10-18QF1514departed+6
10-18QF418departed−7
10-18QF420departed−2
10-18QF426departed+56
10-18QF434departed+9
10-18QF442dep +0 → arr+12
10-18QF462cancelledCNX
10-18VA811departed+2
10-18VA815departed+12
10-18VA819departed−5
10-18VA823departed+14
10-18VA827departed+2
10-18VA829departed+0
10-18VA833departed+2
10-18VA841dep +0 → arr+3
10-18VA887cancelledCNX
10-18VA895cancelledCNX
10-17JQ504arrived−21
10-17JQ508arrived−12
10-17JQ512arrived+5
10-17JQ514arrived−17
10-17JQ516arrived+15
10-17JQ518arrived+5
10-17JQ520arrived+185
10-17JQ522arrived−15
10-17JQ524arrived+1
10-17JQ526arrived−2
10-17JQ528arrived−7
10-17JQ530arrived+7
10-17JQ532arrived−7
10-17QF1262arrived+10
10-17QF418arrived−14
10-17QF426arrived+45
10-17QF434arrived−4

Actual board outcomes rather than schedules, paired departure and arrival per flight and day.

Full board history, day by day →

Airports right now

live boards
MELMelbourne +3 min smooth 🌤 clear · NNE 16 kt Full MEL delay board →
SYDSydney +0 min smooth 🌤 overcast · E 13 kt Full SYD delay board →

Weather lens

Current conditions put the pressure at MEL: 39% odds of a 15+ minute delay and around +8 min expected when it bites, measured from this route's own weather-matched delay history. See live delays → · Weather risk by airport →

How the Melbourne to Sydney route actually runs

Pro Flight Search records official board updates for nonstop MEL to SYD flights through the day: schedules, estimates, gate pushes and actual departures. The verdict above comes from operated flights, so it reflects what this route does rather than what the timetable promises.

Planning around a delay? Live airport delays · Weather delay risk map · Will a delayed flight be cancelled? · Do planes make up time in the air? · How we measure

Cite this data

Journalists, bloggers, and researchers may cite this page with attribution and a link to Pro Flight Search.

Suggested citation

Pro Flight Search — Melbourne (MEL) to Sydney (SYD) route reliability, measured from operated flights on official airport boards.

Canonical URL
https://proflightsearch.com/search-flights/MEL-SYD
How we measure this →

MEL to SYD questions

Is MEL–SYD running on time right now?

Smooth skies ahead. The departure side at MEL is the weaker end, route health score 96/100. The airports section above carries the live status and delay window at both ends.

Morning or evening flight on MEL–SYD?

Operators schedule morning departures around 06:00 and evening departures around 17:00 from MEL. Earlier flights typically land before destination-airport delays accumulate later in the day; check the SYD delay card to confirm conditions when you'd arrive.

How long is the flight from MEL to SYD?

Great-circle distance is 705 km. With typical jet cruise speed plus taxi, climb and descent, expect roughly 80–90 min gate-to-gate on this route.

How often does MEL–SYD fly?

3 carriers operate this route, around 497 flights a week between them. Compare carrier days and times in the airline list above.