Melbourne to SydneyYMML → YSSY
Melbourne Airport (YMML / MEL) in Melbourne, Australia to Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (YSSY / SYD) in Sydney (Mascot), Australia is 381 nautical miles — 706 kilometres, or 438 statute miles — on the great circle, on an initial bearing of 056°. A business jet at Mach 0.85 and FL410 takes about 1h 15m block time in still air.
Published by Overfly · Airport data: OurAirports, · Last updated
Can the aeroplane make it?
Range here is usable range — book range at long-range cruise, less a reserve allowance. It is the figure that decides whether the leg closes, and it is the question most mappers do not answer.
Wind, month by month
The same business jet at Mach 0.85 and FL410, in each month’s average upper wind. YMML to YSSY is quickest in July (1h 10m) and slowest in January (1h 15m); YSSY to YMML is quickest in January (1h 20m) and slowest in July (1h 25m). The wind column is the average along-track component: plus is a tailwind.
| MONTH | YMML → YSSY | WIND | YSSY → YMML | WIND |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1h 15m | +39 kt | 1h 20m | −40 kt |
| February | 1h 15m | +37 kt | 1h 20m | −38 kt |
| March | 1h 15m | +39 kt | 1h 20m | −39 kt |
| April | 1h 15m | +37 kt | 1h 20m | −37 kt |
| May | 1h 15m | +38 kt | 1h 20m | −39 kt |
| June | 1h 15m | +45 kt | 1h 20m | −47 kt |
| July | 1h 10m | +59 kt | 1h 25m | −62 kt |
| August | 1h 10m | +59 kt | 1h 25m | −61 kt |
| September | 1h 10m | +54 kt | 1h 25m | −56 kt |
| October | 1h 15m | +44 kt | 1h 20m | −45 kt |
| November | 1h 15m | +40 kt | 1h 20m | −41 kt |
| December | 1h 15m | +45 kt | 1h 20m | −46 kt |
Monthly means for 1991–2020 from NOAA’s NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis, at the pressure level nearest the cruise (about FL387), along the great circle. An average is smoother than any one day’s jet stream, so a given flight can see much more or much less; airlines also move the track to use the wind, which this does not. More in how wind changes block time.
How far from an airport?
Nowhere on the great circle is more than 25 minutes from a suitable airport at the one-engine diversion speed Overfly uses (430 kt in still air), so a twin-engine aircraft flies it under the 60-minute rule, with no ETOPS approval needed.
A suitable airport here is one OurAirports classes as large with a runway of 8,000 ft or more. An operator’s real alternates also depend on weather, fire cover and approval, and its diversion speed on the type. More in equal-time points and ETOPS, explained.
The two fields
Questions people ask about this route
How far is it from Melbourne (YMML) to Sydney (YSSY)?
381 nautical miles. That is 706 kilometres or 438 statute miles, measured as a great circle between Melbourne Airport and Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport.
How long is the flight from Melbourne to Sydney?
About 1h 15m block time for a business jet cruising at Mach 0.85 at FL410 in still air, including 30 minutes of taxi, climb and descent. Wind moves that figure in either direction — eastbound across the North Atlantic or the Pacific it can be an hour or more. This page is deliberately still-air so the figure is stable and citable; to apply the month's average upper winds from NOAA, open the route in the mapper and switch on seasonal winds.
How much does wind change the flight time between Melbourne and Sydney?
In the average upper wind, Melbourne to Sydney at Mach 0.85 runs from 1h 10m in July to 1h 15m in January, and the return from 1h 20m in January to 1h 25m in July. Those are 1991–2020 monthly means from NOAA's reanalysis; on a given day the jet stream can make the difference larger or smaller.
What is the initial bearing from Melbourne (YMML) to Sydney (YSSY)?
056° true at the departure point. A great circle changes heading continuously, so this is the initial bearing, not a constant one.
Which aircraft can fly Melbourne to Sydney non-stop?
Of the types Overfly carries, G650ER, G550, Global 7500, Falcon 8X, Falcon 7X, Challenger 350, A350-900, B777-300ER, A320neo, A320, B737 MAX 8, B737-800, An-124, Concorde, King Air 200, ATR 72, Dash 8 Q400 clear it on usable range — that is book range less a reserve allowance.
For reference and planning interest. Not for operational flight planning. Distances are great circle on a sphere from WGS-84 coordinates; block times assume still air. © 2026 Overfly.Flights