Most flights from Australia to cities in Asia operate during the daytime. This includes almost every Qantas and Jetstar flight to Asia, except for one Qantas flight to Japan.
The opposite is true in the reverse direction. Most services from Asia to Australia are overnight flights, including all Qantas flights, although there are a handful of daytime flights from Asia to Australia that count as exceptions.
The main reason for this trend is the time difference between cities on the Australian east coast and cities in Asia. This makes it more commercially viable for airlines to fly in the day from Australia to Asia, then back overnight. In many cases, this allows airlines to offer better connections and provides better aircraft utilisation.
Many travellers prefer daytime flights, but there are some advantages to overnight flights. For example, business travellers can avoid “wasting” a day of work in the air. For those who can sleep on planes, redeye flights can also save you the cost of booking a hotel room for that night.
This article lists all of the overnight flights currently available from Australia to destinations in Asia, sorted by Australian departure airport. For each route listed below, we’ve included the airline, flight number and current schedule. Note that the schedules may vary on different days of the week or when daylight savings is on.
For the purpose of this article, we are not including flights to destinations in the Middle East. Although the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are technically part of Asia, the majority of flights from Australia to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha are overnight – so these are not hard to find.
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Overnight flights from Adelaide to Asia
There are currently no overnight flights scheduled from Adelaide to Asia.
Cathay Pacific had previously planned to launch an overnight Adelaide-Hong Kong service in March 2024, but those flights have since been removed from sale.
Overnight flights from Brisbane to Asia
| Airline | Flight Number | Origin | Departure Time | Destination | Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EVA Air | BR316 | Brisbane | 22:15 | Taipei | 05:15 (next day) |
| China Airlines | CI54 | Brisbane | 22:50 | Taipei | 05:45 (next day) |
| VietJet Air | VJ84 | Brisbane | 23:30 | Ho Chi Minh City | 05:10 (next day) |
| Singapore Airlines | SQ246 | Brisbane | 23:50 | Singapore | 05:45 (next day) |
| Cathay Pacific | CX156 | Brisbane | 00:55 | Hong Kong | 07:30 |
Overnight flights from Melbourne to Asia
| Airline | Flight Number | Origin | Departure Time | Destination | Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air China | CA166 | Melbourne | 20:00 | Beijing | 06:00 (next day) |
| Sichuan Airlines | 3U3886 | Melbourne | 20:20 | Chengdu | 05:25 (next day) |
| China Southern | CZ344 | Melbourne | 21:00 | Guangzhou | 04:55 (next day) |
| China Airlines | CI58 | Melbourne | 21:10 | Taipei | 04:40 (next day) |
| Scoot | TR25 | Melbourne | 21:20 | Singapore | 03:30 (next day) |
| China Eastern | MU740 | Melbourne | 21:30 | Shanghai | 06:15 (next day) |
| Bamboo Airways | QH83 | Melbourne | 22:30 | Hanoi | 05:15 (next day) |
| Malaysia Airlines | MH128 | Melbourne | 23:30 | Kuala Lumpur | 06:00 (next day) |
| Thai Airways | TG462 | Melbourne | 23:30 | Bangkok | 06:00 (next day) |
| Singapore Airlines | SQ218 | Melbourne | 23:35 | Singapore | 05:30 (next day) |
| Cathay Pacific | CX178 | Melbourne | 23:50 | Hong Kong | 06:55 (next day) |
| AirAsia X | D7213 | Melbourne | 00:10 | Kuala Lumpur | 06:45 |
| VietJet Air | VJ82 | Melbourne | 00:30 | Ho Chi Minh City | 06:30 |
| Emirates | EK405 | Melbourne | 02:25 | Singapore | 08:15 |
Overnight flights from Perth to Asia
Note that All Nippon Airways (ANA) will resume its Perth to Narita route from late October 2023.
Due to its position on the west coast of Australia, you can also find redeye flights from Perth to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Cairns, Auckland and occasionally Hobart.
| Airline | Flight Number | Origin | Departure Time | Destination | Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANA | NH882 | Perth | 21:55 | Tokyo (Narita) | 08:30 (next day) |
| Scoot | TR17 | Perth | 22:00 | Singapore | 03:15 (next day) |
| Batik Air Malaysia | OD194 | Perth | 23:10 | Kuala Lumpur | 04:50 (next day) |
| Cathay Pacific | CX170 | Perth | 23:55 | Hong Kong | 07:30 (next day) |
| Singapore Airlines | SQ216 | Perth | 01:10 | Singapore | 06:35 |
| Batik Air Malaysia | OD156 | Perth | 01:20 | Kuala Lumpur | 07:15 |
| Citilink | QG557 | Perth | 01:30 | Jakarta | 05:05 |
| Indonesia AirAsia | QZ533 | Perth | 01:40 | Jakarta | 05:25 |
| Malaysia Airlines | MH126 | Perth | 02:10 | Kuala Lumpur | 07:50 |
Overnight flights from Sydney to Asia
Although there are around a dozen overnight flights from Sydney to Asia, the curfew at Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International Airport means all flights must depart before 11pm. This means that overnight flights from Sydney to destinations such as Singapore and Kuala Lumpur need to leave earlier than would be ideal – resulting in an arrival time at the destination between 3am and 5am. This is also the reason that Singapore Airlines does not have an overnight service from Sydney to Singapore.
| Airline | Flight Number | Origin | Departure Time | Destination | Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air China | CA174 | Sydney | 19:40 | Beijing | 05:30 (next day) |
| Qantas | QF25 | Sydney | 20:20 | Tokyo (Haneda) | 05:25 (next day) |
| China Eastern | MU736 | Sydney | 20:30 | Shanghai | 05:15 (next day) |
| Scoot | TR13 | Sydney | 20:45 | Singapore | 03:10 (next day) |
| AirAsia X | D7289 | Sydney | 20:45 | Kuala Lumpur | 03:55 (next day) |
| ANA | NH880 | Sydney | 20:55 | Tokyo (Haneda) | 05:35 (next day) |
| Hainan Airlines | HU448 | Sydney | 21:00 | Haikou | 05:00 (next day) |
| China Southern | CZ302 | Sydney | 21:45 | Guangzhou | 05:25 (next day) |
| Asiana | OZ6023 | Sydney | 21:45 | Seoul (Incheon) | 06:30 (next day) |
| Cathay Pacific | CX138 | Sydney | 21:55 | Hong Kong | 05:10 (next day) |
| Malaysia Airlines | MH140 | Sydney | 22:10 | Kuala Lumpur | 05:00 (next day) |
| China Airlines | CI52 | Sydney | 22:10 | Taipei | 05:40 (next day) |
