Cheap flights from Melbourne Airport to Shanghai from $460

The cheapest month to fly to Shanghai from Melbourne Airport is in August. Flight prices, which tend to average around $319, are often lower during this time because this is during the off-season. The month of February is another great option to travel to Shanghai, with average flight prices from Melbourne Airport averaging around $453.

The cheapest day to depart from Melbourne Airport to Shanghai is on a Sunday. Travellers who choose to depart for Shanghai on a Sunday will often find tickets for as low as $1,087. Be sure to avoid booking your departure on a Friday as prices are generally higher than usual. According to our data, the average ticket price to Shanghai on Friday is $1,149.

Our most recent data shows that the best time of day to fly to Shanghai is at midday. Flights from Melbourne Airport to Shanghai during this time can be as low as $707. In contrast, the most expensive time of day to depart to Shanghai is in the morning when prices are around $1,136.

Fly from Melbourne to Hangzhou for the best Melbourne - Shanghai flight prices

You are more likely to see cheaper flights to Shanghai from Melbourne Airport when booking weeks ahead of your departure date. In general, you can expect to find flights to Shanghai for around $834 when searching weeks before you fly. However, flight prices might be lower outside of this timeframe. For example, people recently found flights to Shanghai from Melbourne Airport for as low as $693 on momondo.

Cathay Pacific, XiamenAir, and Juneyao Airlines are the most popular carriers operating from Melbourne to Shanghai

China Southern, China Eastern and XiamenAir are the top three most popular airlines that fly to Shanghai from Melbourne Airport according to our data. China Southern is the first choice among our users, with 34% of people opting to fly with this airline when travelling to Shanghai. Keep in mind that there are 19 different airlines that fly to Shanghai on a routine basis, so you have a few additional options to choose from.

Historically, on average around 14% of flights between Melbourne and Shanghai have experienced a delay on any given week. The average delay length over the past 12 months has been 115 minutes.

Generally, flights departing at night tend to experience fewer delays. Flights departing in the early afternoon have, in the past, seen delays more frequently in comparison.

Thursday is statistically the day of the week that experiences the fewest delays on this flight route. Wednesday has historically seen more delays on average compared to the rest of the week.

According to our data, Shanghai Airlines have had the fewest delays on this route over the last 12 months, with about 14% of their flights experiencing any sort of delay.

As of May 2026, 4 flights take off from Melbourne Airport and land in Shanghai each day. The most common flight departure time for this route is 11:00, with 88% of daily flights taking off at midday.

As of May 2026, 34 flights take off from Melbourne Airport and land in Shanghai each week. The most common flight departure day for this route is Tue, with 18% of weekly flights taking off on this day.