Cairns Airport is one of the leading regional airports in Australia. The airport has direct flights to the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Darwin, Townsville, Perth and Adelaide. Cairns Airport also handles direct flights from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka, Port Moresby, and Guam, as well as seasonal flights to Auckland, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.
There are two passenger terminals at Cairns Airport - the international terminal (T1) and the domestic terminal (T2). The car hire counters can be found at the Arrival Hall of both terminals. Click here for a map of the airport.
Cairns Airport is a convenient airport for those wanting to explore all that Far North Queensland has to offer. It is located at Airport Avenue and is just a 9-minute drive from the city centre. Servicing both international and domestic flights, there are two terminals at Cairns Airport which are walking distance between each other.
From the Great Barrier Reef, just off the coast of Cairns to Port Douglas, Daintree Rainforest, Palm Cove, Kuranda, and Paronella Park, there are countless places to explore in your rental car. Did you know that there are both on-airport and off-airport car rental options for you at Cairns Airport? No matter what your budget is, there is a car rental option for you.
Hertz, Avis, Budget, Thrifty, Europcar, Enterprise and East Coast Car Rentals can be found at Cairns Airport. Keep in mind that East Coast Car Rentals is an off-airport depot and may be more cost-effective compared to on-airport suppliers.
Cairns Airport Address: Airport Avenue, Cairns City, QLD, 4870
Number of On-Site Suppliers: 6. Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Enterprise, Thrifty
Off-Airport Supplier: 1. East Coast Car Rentals
Car Rental Opening Hours: Car rental is available between 4 am and 12:30 am at Cairns Airport, 7 days a week.
Hertz Cairns Airport: Monday to Sunday from 4 am - 11:30 pm
Avis Cairns Airport: Monday to Sunday from 5 am - 12:30 am
Budget Cairns Airport: Monday to Sunday from 5 am - 12:30 pm
Thrifty Cairns Airport: Monday to Sunday from 5 am - 11:59 pm
Europcar Cairns Airport: Monday to Sunday from 5 am - 12:59 am
Enterprise Cairns Airport: Monday to Sunday from 5 am - 12:30 am
East Coast Car Rentals: 411 Sheridan Street: Monday to Sunday from 7 am - 10 pm
The best way to get an idea of renting a car is to read about fellow traveller’s real recent experiences. Our team have reached out to some of our customers who recently rented from Cairns Airport and their experiences are shared below.
Janine (August 2019): Janine picked up their rental car from Cairns Airport. They booked with East Coast Car Rentals. Janine mentioned that they had to wait a while for the car but once received they were upgraded. They rated the condition of the car a 10/10 and recommend allocation some time to wait for the rental in peak times.
Alexanda (August 2019): Alexanda picked up her rental car from Enterprise at Cairns Airport. She booked a standard car for 2 days and rated the condition of the car a 10/10. She suggested to pre-book online to avoid waiting time.
More verified customer reviews
Car hire companies at Cairns airport include Avis, Budget, Hertz, Europcar, Thrifty, and Enterprise. Compare the latest rates, car models, transmission types, seating capacity, and more.
We'll help you compare top brands to find a car that suits your needs. Indicate when you want to pick up your car hire, specify your pickup and drop-off locations, and start your search now!
VroomVroomVroom provides you with a simple comparison of the most popular car hire companies in Australia. Here are some of the reasons customers prefer renting a car through us:
The airport is nestled between the east of Trinity Bay and the west of Mount Whitfield. It is just seven kilometres away from central Cairns. Cairns Airport serves as a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and North Queensland's tropical rainforests, making the airport quite popular among outdoor lovers and explorers. Is it your first time travelling in Australia? If you want to learn the rules of the road, you can check out this informative article.
The car rental counters can be found in the Arrivals Hall in both the domestic and international terminals. Once you collect your keys, you can walk out to the car park directly in front of the terminals to find your car.
Return your rental car at the same location you picked it up at. This is the car park out the front of the terminals.
It’s just a short 200-metre walk between the two terminals.
Unless the car is visibly dirty, you don’t need to wash the car before you return it.
The closest petrol station to Cairns Airport is Puma located at 45 Arnold Street (open 5 am - 11 pm). There is also a Mobil Petrol Station at 4/2 Rinks Close (open 6 am - 6:30 pm) and a Coles Express closer to the city centre at 293 Sheridan Street (open 24 hours). Download the Vroom Fuel Price Compare app to find the cheapest fuel in the area.
There are no toll roads in and around Cairns.
Appropriately and ideally situated just 10 minutes from the CBD, 25 minutes from Palm Cove and the Northern Beaches, and nearly one hour from Port Douglas, flying in and travelling to Cairns is easy and hassle-free as many domestic and international flights arrive every day.
Cairns is known as the heart of the Tropical North as well as a magnificent base for touring this large region. The Great Barrier Reef serves as the perfect destination for tourists. Other places that you should visit include the breathtaking Daintree Rainforest, Cooktown and Cape York to the north, the impressive Tablelands and outback to the west.
Aside from a variety of top attractions and cool activities to select from, there are other great reasons why you should visit Cairns - from the beautiful beaches and marvelous hinterland to the amazing cafés and bars, lively markets.
