Australian Flight Data

Routes Australia has lost

127 international city pairs with no passenger traffic recorded in the comparable published series for over a year.

This is a historical record, not a live timetable. BITRE’s international city-pair series reaches back to January 1985; this analysis uses its comparable passenger record beginning January 2003.

Passenger data run through May 2026. A city pair enters this record only when its last positive passenger month is strictly before May 2025.

For example, Gold Coast–Kuala Lumpur was last positive in Jul 2024. That describes the published passenger record, not an exact operational closure date.

Key findings

Routes in the current lost-route record
127
city pairs in the current published record
Biggest among lost routes
Gold Coast–Kuala Lumpur
211,833 passengers in 2014
Most recent lost-route record
Norfolk Island–Auckland
last passenger record Apr 2025
Australian port with the most lost-route records
Sydney
29 lost route records

The biggest lost routes

Ranked by each route’s highest observed calendar-year passenger total since 2003. Partial years are shown as observed and are not annualised.

These are BITRE passenger city pairs. Some services operated under one flight number with an intermediate stop and were not nonstop routes.

The 25 largest city pairs in the current lost-route record An Australia-centred map of BITRE passenger city pairs ranked by peak annual passengers. Selected leading city pairs are labelled. Some services used one flight number with an intermediate stop and were not nonstop routes. 1. Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur 2. Brisbane to Abu Dhabi 3. Perth to Abu Dhabi 4. Gold Coast to Tokyo 5. Gold Coast to Singapore 6. Cairns to Nagoya 7. Brisbane to Honolulu 8. Gold Coast to Osaka 9. Sydney to Vienna 10. Sydney to Buenos Aires 11. Sydney to Frankfurt 12. Sydney to Bahrain 13. Brisbane to Bandar Seri Begawan 14. Melbourne to Vancouver 15. Sydney to Bombay 16. Melbourne to Bombay 17. Brisbane to Phuket 18. Perth to Bandar Seri Begawan 19. Canberra to Singapore 20. Darwin to Manila 21. Melbourne to Vienna 22. Gold Coast to Hong Kong 23. Brisbane to Dunedin 24. Sydney to Fuzhou 25. Sydney to Kunming Gold Coast Brisbane Perth Cairns Sydney Melbourne Canberra Darwin 1. Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur 2. Brisbane to Abu Dhabi 3. Perth to Abu Dhabi 4. Gold Coast to Tokyo 5. Gold Coast to Singapore 6. Cairns to Nagoya 7. Brisbane to Honolulu 8. Gold Coast to Osaka 9. Sydney to Vienna 10. Sydney to Buenos Aires 11. Sydney to Frankfurt 12. Sydney to Bahrain 13. Brisbane to Bandar Seri Begawan 14. Melbourne to Vancouver 15. Sydney to Bombay 16. Melbourne to Bombay 17. Brisbane to Phuket 18. Perth to Bandar Seri Begawan 19. Canberra to Singapore 20. Darwin to Manila 21. Melbourne to Vienna 22. Gold Coast to Hong Kong 23. Brisbane to Dunedin 24. Sydney to Fuzhou 25. Sydney to Kunming #9 Vienna #2/3 Abu Dhabi #1 Kuala Lumpur #5 Singapore #4 Tokyo #6 Nagoya #8 Osaka #7 Honolulu #10 Buenos Aires
Top 25 by peak annual passengers. Selected leading routes are labelled; exact Top 10 values are listed below.
Exact values for the ten largest lost-route records
RoutePeak yearPeak annual passengersLast passenger record
Gold Coast–Kuala Lumpur 2014 211,833 Jul 2024
Brisbane–Abu Dhabi 2017 183,102 Mar 2020
Perth–Abu Dhabi 2017 162,898 Oct 2018
Gold Coast–Tokyo 2017 155,422 Oct 2023
Gold Coast–Singapore 2013 151,323 Jul 2023
Cairns–Nagoya 2004 137,111 Dec 2008
Brisbane–Honolulu 2015 134,515 Mar 2020
Gold Coast–Osaka 2010 130,836 May 2023
Sydney–Vienna 2005 128,470 Mar 2007
Sydney–Buenos Aires 2009 114,103 Apr 2020

When passenger traffic was last recorded

Number of routes by the calendar year of their last positive passenger month. Every complete eligible year from 2003 to 2024 is shown, including years with zero.

Lost routes by year of last passenger record Annual counts from 2003 to 2024. The highest count is 18 in 2020. 0 9 18 2003: 2 routes 2003 2004: 3 routes 2005: 7 routes 2005 2006: 5 routes 2007: 10 routes 2008: 14 routes 2009: 4 routes 2010: 1 routes 2010 2011: 1 routes 2012: 12 routes 2013: 3 routes 2014: 4 routes 2015: 3 routes 2015 2016: 2 routes 2017: 2 routes 2018: 7 routes 2019: 4 routes 2020: 18 routes 2020 2021: 4 routes 2022: 3 routes 2023: 6 routes 2024: 7 routes 2024
Calendar year of each city pair’s last positive passenger month; 2025 is reported separately below.

The highest complete-year count was 18 in 2020.

A route enters this record only after more than a year without positive passenger traffic in the published series. That deliberate lag prevents a seasonal gap from being labelled as a lost route. 5 qualifying routes in 2025 fall inside the partly eligible boundary year (months before May 2025) and are excluded from the ordinary full-year chart.

Lost-route records by decade of last positive passenger month
Decade of last passenger recordRoutes
2000s45
2010s39
2020s43

Australian airports in the record

Counts are route entities attached to each Australian port, not passengers or flights. A large route and a small route each count once.

Lost-route records by Australian port
Australian portLost route records
Sydney29
Melbourne23
Brisbane18
Cairns13
Darwin12
Perth10
Gold Coast8
Adelaide6
Canberra2
Townsville2
Christmas Island1
Newcastle1
Norfolk Island1
Port Hedland1

Complete lost-route record

All 127 qualifying city pairs. “Recorded active months” counts positive passenger months since 2003; it does not imply continuous service.

Click any column heading to sort ⇅

Complete lost-route record with passenger history metrics
Route Region First recorded since 2003 Peak year Peak annual passengers Passengers since 2003 Last passenger record Recorded active months
Gold Coast–Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Nov 2007 2014 211,833 2,114,136 Jul 2024 165
Brisbane–Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Sep 2007 2017 183,102 1,288,030 Mar 2020 151
Perth–Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates Jul 2014 2017 162,898 656,249 Oct 2018 52
Gold Coast–Tokyo Japan Jun 2007 2017 155,422 1,692,243 Oct 2023 153
Gold Coast–Singapore Singapore Jun 2012 2013 151,323 1,147,788 Jul 2023 113
Cairns–Nagoya Japan Jan 2003 2004 137,111 734,416 Dec 2008 72
Brisbane–Honolulu USA Jan 2003 2015 134,515 631,088 Mar 2020 94
Gold Coast–Osaka Japan Jan 2003 2010 130,836 637,579 May 2023 123
Sydney–Vienna Austria Jan 2003 2005 128,470 524,997 Mar 2007 51
Sydney–Buenos Aires Argentina Jan 2003 2009 114,103 705,524 Apr 2020 137
Sydney–Frankfurt Germany Jan 2003 2008 109,081 891,273 Apr 2013 124
Sydney–Bahrain Bahrain Nov 2003 2005 107,285 352,545 Jun 2007 44
Brisbane–Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Jan 2003 2010 103,453 539,220 Mar 2020 115
Melbourne–Vancouver Canada Jun 2006 2019 88,711 173,773 Mar 2020 35
Sydney–Bombay India Sep 2004 2005 68,848 294,943 May 2009 57
Melbourne–Bombay India Jan 2006 2024 66,716 89,793 Mar 2025 25
Brisbane–Phuket Thailand Nov 2009 2010 62,239 119,922 Feb 2012 28
Perth–Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Jan 2003 2006 61,867 445,806 Oct 2011 106
Canberra–Singapore Singapore Sep 2016 2019 59,163 190,248 Mar 2021 45
Darwin–Manila Philippines May 2006 2013 58,782 207,747 Mar 2018 87
Melbourne–Vienna Austria Jan 2003 2005 58,773 231,786 Mar 2007 51
Gold Coast–Hong Kong Hong Kong (SAR) Jan 2016 2017 55,397 131,665 Feb 2025 36
Brisbane–Dunedin New Zealand Jan 2003 2010 55,049 750,055 Mar 2020 207
Sydney–Fuzhou China Nov 2015 2019 53,674 225,212 Feb 2023 58
Sydney–Kunming China Nov 2016 2017 51,338 152,317 Jun 2022 44
Cairns–Fukuoka Japan Jan 2003 2004 49,848 142,150 Jun 2006 41
Melbourne–Johannesburg South Africa Dec 2007 2010 48,038 59,968 Apr 2020 16
Sydney–Apia Western Samoa Jan 2003 2019 46,692 553,935 Oct 2023 217
Sydney–Papeete Tahiti Jan 2003 2006 45,409 149,216 Feb 2012 50
Melbourne–Chongqing China Nov 2017 2019 44,327 101,114 Jan 2020 27
Melbourne–Xi'an China Nov 2016 2017 44,024 128,286 Oct 2019 36
Brisbane–Hamilton New Zealand Jan 2003 2004 43,618 361,529 Oct 2012 114
Brisbane–Palmerston New Zealand Jan 2003 2005 43,149 211,694 Mar 2008 63
Townsville–Denpasar Indonesia Dec 2010 2017 42,759 116,116 Mar 2018 42
Melbourne–Changsha China Nov 2016 2017 41,506 91,692 Jan 2020 37
Sydney–Changsha China Sep 2016 2017 41,221 130,418 Jan 2020 41
Brisbane–Shenzhen China Sep 2017 2019 40,618 81,786 Jan 2020 29
Perth–Lombok Indonesia Sep 2013 2014 39,474 53,249 Oct 2014 14
Brisbane–Beijing China Dec 2011 2018 38,420 74,685 Mar 2019 28
Sydney–Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Nov 2004 2006 38,057 126,133 May 2008 43
Gold Coast–Wuhan China Sep 2015 2016 35,995 48,512 Sep 2016 13
Cairns–Guangzhou China Jan 2013 2018 34,944 65,691 Apr 2019 19
Cairns–Guam Guam Jan 2003 2009 34,530 301,098 Sep 2015 153
Gold Coast–Nadi Fiji Dec 2008 2016 32,680 72,093 Mar 2017 30
Melbourne–Noumea New Caledonia Dec 2004 2017 32,281 182,164 May 2024 77
Sydney–Kota Kinabalu Malaysia Jun 2003 2004 31,899 50,267 Apr 2005 23
Darwin–Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam Sep 2008 2011 31,755 88,101 Mar 2012 43
Canberra–Wellington New Zealand Sep 2016 2017 31,162 52,050 Apr 2018 20
Melbourne–Zhengzhou China Dec 2017 2018 30,870 34,117 Nov 2018 12
Sydney–Chicago USA Jan 2003 2005 30,374 176,660 Aug 2012 114
Perth–Kota Kinabalu Malaysia Jan 2011 2011 28,849 123,035 Mar 2020 101
Sydney–Dunedin New Zealand Jan 2003 2006 27,108 170,811 Jan 2014 89
Cairns–Shanghai China Oct 2012 2013 25,561 93,953 Feb 2024 28
Cairns–Shenzhen China Dec 2017 2019 25,078 47,934 Jan 2020 26
Melbourne–Hamilton New Zealand Jan 2003 2003 24,646 81,506 Mar 2007 44
Adelaide–Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam Dec 2023 2024 23,297 25,381 Oct 2024 11
Sydney–Palmerston New Zealand Jan 2003 2007 22,989 103,441 Mar 2008 63
Sydney–Rotorua New Zealand Dec 2009 2010 21,861 108,980 Apr 2015 62
Melbourne–Dunedin New Zealand Jan 2003 2004 21,484 104,566 Jan 2014 69
Sydney–Nagoya Japan Jul 2003 2004 20,234 54,985 Sep 2008 50
Melbourne–Palmerston New Zealand Jan 2003 2004 20,085 69,451 Mar 2007 45
Sydney–St Denis de la Reunion Reunion Apr 2009 2010 19,750 58,789 Aug 2012 41
Norfolk Island–Auckland New Zealand Jan 2003 2005 19,679 204,827 Apr 2025 211
Sydney–Suva Fiji Jan 2003 2003 18,767 149,567 Oct 2022 125
Darwin–Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei Jan 2003 2004 17,774 66,338 Jan 2008 61
Melbourne–Mauritius Mauritius Jan 2003 2011 17,284 146,165 May 2012 113
Melbourne–Port Vila Vanuatu Sep 2004 2019 17,198 93,747 May 2024 110
Cairns–Manila Philippines Dec 2010 2017 16,663 31,607 Dec 2017 26
Darwin–London UK Jul 2006 2022 16,440 17,790 Jun 2022 12
Perth–Kuching Malaysia Jan 2003 2005 15,990 44,923 Mar 2006 39
Cairns–Sapporo Japan Nov 2004 2005 15,536 40,088 Mar 2007 14
Perth–Christchurch New Zealand Dec 2013 2018 15,354 85,081 Mar 2019 29
Sydney–Mauritius Mauritius Mar 2004 2007 14,400 81,759 May 2012 80
Cairns–Taipei Taiwan Jan 2003 2003 12,354 12,354 May 2003 5
Brisbane–Bombay India Jun 2009 2010 11,668 31,738 May 2012 36
Perth–Beijing China Nov 2011 2012 9,211 12,957 Mar 2013 17
Cairns–Seoul Korea Dec 2016 2017 9,075 17,427 Jan 2018 5
Melbourne–Chicago USA Jan 2003 2010 8,997 27,362 Aug 2012 56
Port Hedland–Denpasar Indonesia Aug 2010 2019 8,891 44,734 Mar 2020 68
Darwin–Shenzhen China May 2018 2019 7,871 13,483 Jan 2020 21
Newcastle–Auckland New Zealand Nov 2018 2019 7,124 14,058 Feb 2020 8
Townsville–Port Moresby Papua New Guinea Apr 2017 2018 6,338 12,114 Sep 2018 18
Melbourne–Rome Italy Jan 2003 2003 5,566 5,616 Sep 2024 6
Brisbane–Rome Italy Jan 2003 2003 4,607 4,607 Sep 2003 9
Cairns–Rabaul Papua New Guinea May 2013 2013 4,536 8,670 May 2015 25
Melbourne–New York USA Oct 2003 2006 4,434 20,379 Dec 2016 65
Melbourne–Osaka Japan Mar 2014 2015 4,306 13,238 Mar 2024 58
Darwin–Bombay India Jan 2006 2007 3,871 7,234 Jan 2008 25
Darwin–Kupang Indonesia Jun 2004 2006 3,465 11,845 Apr 2008 47
Perth–Shanghai China Jan 2024 2024 3,431 5,546 Feb 2025 4
Sydney–Honiara Solomon Islands Jun 2015 2015 3,248 5,309 Dec 2021 13
Melbourne–Nauru Nauru Jan 2003 2003 2,780 5,085 Jan 2005 25
Sydney–Espiritu Santo Vanuatu Feb 2009 2009 1,966 2,216 Feb 2010 12
Darwin–Tokyo Japan Aug 2005 2013 1,877 4,553 Mar 2014 25
Sydney–Kuching Malaysia Nov 2004 2005 1,685 2,558 Mar 2006 17
Melbourne–Sapporo Japan Dec 2006 2007 1,562 1,661 Mar 2007 4
Sydney–Taiyuan China May 2023 2023 1,399 2,574 Jan 2025 21
Sydney–Seattle USA May 2004 2004 1,333 1,612 Apr 2005 12
Melbourne–Rarotonga Cook Islands Apr 2005 2008 1,310 4,017 Oct 2009 41
Christmas Island–Singapore Singapore Dec 2007 2008 1,242 1,722 May 2008 6
Darwin–Osaka Japan Nov 2012 2013 784 843 Oct 2013 12
Brisbane–Tarawa Kiribati Jan 2008 2010 746 1,494 Jul 2023 24
Gold Coast–Fukuoka Japan Jul 2003 2003 499 682 Jun 2006 15
Sydney–Athens Greece Aug 2004 2004 314 314 Aug 2004 1
Brisbane–Jakarta Indonesia Jan 2005 2008 304 490 Oct 2008 3
Melbourne–Buenos Aires Argentina Apr 2020 2020 246 246 Apr 2020 1
Darwin–Bangkok Thailand Nov 2003 2003 233 234 Jan 2004 3
Sydney–Manchester UK May 2008 2009 203 383 May 2009 2
Brisbane–London UK Jun 2003 2012 173 321 Apr 2012 3
Perth–Osaka Japan Aug 2005 2005 158 158 Aug 2005 1
Adelaide–Tokyo Japan Jul 2004 2020 141 173 Dec 2020 3
Brisbane–Santiago Chile Jul 2021 2021 130 130 Jul 2021 1
Sydney–Niue Niue Mar 2003 2003 96 113 Feb 2004 10
Brisbane–Nagoya Japan Feb 2008 2008 61 61 Feb 2008 1
Darwin–Jakarta Indonesia Jan 2005 2005 37 37 Jan 2005 1
Adelaide–Bombay India Oct 2004 2007 27 48 Jan 2008 4
Sydney–Amsterdam Netherlands Feb 2012 2012 27 27 Feb 2012 1
Brisbane–New York USA Dec 2003 2004 20 36 Mar 2008 6
Adelaide–London UK Mar 2005 2005 14 14 Mar 2005 1
Adelaide–Los Angeles USA Jan 2021 2021 13 13 Jan 2021 1
Melbourne–Frankfurt Germany Nov 2006 2006 13 13 Nov 2006 1
Cairns–Beijing China Oct 2007 2007 7 7 Oct 2007 1
Adelaide–Jakarta Indonesia Feb 2005 2005 5 5 Feb 2005 1
Brisbane–Chicago USA Sep 2009 2009 2 2 Sep 2009 1
Darwin–Hong Kong Hong Kong (SAR) Dec 2004 2007 2 3 Jul 2007 2
Cairns–Los Angeles USA Jun 2008 2008 1 1 Jun 2008 1
Perth–Bombay India Jul 2007 2007 1 1 Jul 2007 1

Methodology

The record starts with retained international city pairs that have at least 12 published months. A pair must have positive passenger traffic in the comparable series beginning January 2003, and its last positive passenger month must be strictly more than 12 months before the latest published positive passenger period. Freight or mail alone does not advance that passenger date.

Of 538 retained city pairs, 220 have no positive passenger record in the post-2003 comparable series and are not counted in this lost-route record.

Peak annual passengers are the sum of observed monthly passenger totals in each calendar year from 2003 onward. No partial year is annualised and no missing month is interpolated. The first/last dates and active-month count also use positive passenger months only. See the full lost-routes methodology.

BITRE reports passenger city pairs, not necessarily nonstop sectors. Some services kept one flight number through an intermediate stop.

Cite this analysis

Suggested citation, including the data period and the date you accessed it.

FlightUnpacked, “International routes Australia has lost”, BITRE passenger data to May 2026, accessed [access date], https://flightunpacked.com/lost/