Cheap flights from Sydney to Shanghai from $453

The cheapest month to fly to Shanghai from Sydney is in July. Flight prices, which tend to average around $315, are often lower during this time because this is during the off-season. The month of November is another great option to travel to Shanghai, with average flight prices from Sydney averaging around $630.

The cheapest day to depart from Sydney to Shanghai is on a Tuesday. Travellers who choose to depart for Shanghai on a Tuesday will often find tickets for as low as $1,095. 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 $1,213.

Our most recent data shows that the best time of day to fly to Shanghai is in the morning. Flights from Sydney to Shanghai during this time can be as low as $1,133. In contrast, the most expensive time of day to depart to Shanghai is in the evening when prices are around $1,166.

Fly from Sydney Kingsford Smith to Hangzhou for the best Sydney Kingsford Smith - Shanghai flight prices

You are more likely to see cheaper flights to Shanghai from Sydney when booking weeks ahead of your departure date. In general, you can expect to find flights to Shanghai for around $820 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 Sydney for as low as $745 on momondo.

Cathay Pacific, China Southern, and Malaysia Airlines are the most popular carriers operating from Sydney Kingsford Smith to Shanghai

China Southern, China Eastern and XiamenAir are the top three most popular airlines that fly to Shanghai from Sydney according to our data. China Southern is the first choice among our users, with 42% of people opting to fly with this airline when travelling to Shanghai. Keep in mind that there are 16 different airlines that fly to Shanghai on a routine basis, so you have a few additional options to choose from.

Historically, on average around 24% of flights between Sydney and Shanghai have experienced a delay on any given week. The average delay length over the past 12 months has been 95 minutes.

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

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

According to our data, China Eastern have had the fewest delays on this route over the last 12 months, with about 16% of their flights experiencing any sort of delay.

The number of flights available between Sydney and Shanghai is 6 per day as of May 2026. The most frequent departure time is 11:00, with 82% of daily flights leaving at midday.

42 flights are operational weekly from Sydney to Shanghai as of May 2026. The most popular departure day for this route is Mon, with 19% of flights per week taking off on this day.