What Are the Cheapest Flights to India From Australia in 2026?

The route is busy in both directions. Busy routes fill up, so the cheapest seats tend to go to people who search early and stay flexible.

New to ShopBack? ShopBack Australia is a free app and website that gives you back part of what you spend at partner sites such as Trip.com, Expedia and Singapore Airlines, as cash you can withdraw. You open the booking site through ShopBack, book as normal, and the money shows up in your account after the booking is confirmed. Join free on ShopBack Australia.

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What are the cheapest flights to India from Australia?

The cheapest flights to India from Australia are rarely a single airline or a single day; they come from comparing the same trip in a few ways. Fares change daily, so a list of prices would be stale by next week. What stays true is where the cheap fares usually sit and how to find them:

1. Search a range of dates. Look at two or three weeks either side of the day you want. Moving a departure by a few days often changes the fare more than any deal does.
2. Compare one-stop fares through a hub. Many Australian travellers fly to India with one stop in Southeast Asia or the Middle East. Compare these against any non-stop option your search shows, using the total price, not the headline fare.
3. Try more than one departure city. If you can get to Sydney or Melbourne as easily as Brisbane or Canberra, search both. Darwin and Perth are among the closest Australian airports to Singapore, which can matter for one-stop routings.
4. Check the baggage. India trips often involve heavy bags and gifts. A fare with checked baggage included can be cheaper overall than a lower fare that charges for bags.
5. Price the same itinerary on two or three sites. Search Trip.com, Expedia and the airline's own site for the same flights and compare the final total.
6. Go through ShopBack before you pay. Before you check out, go through ShopBack to get a post-purchase discount on the order. Open the Trip.com page on ShopBack, the Expedia page on ShopBack or the Singapore Airlines page on ShopBack first, then book as normal.

Cheap flights to India: which routes and airlines to compare

Singapore Airlines is one of the clearest one-stop options because it serves most Australian capitals and a long list of Indian cities. According to Singapore Airlines' network page at the time of writing:

What the network page lists	Cities
Australian cities with Singapore Airlines flights	Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Indian cities with Singapore Airlines flights	Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai
Australian cities with Scoot flights	Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Indian cities with Scoot flights (examples)	Amritsar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Visakhapatnam

Two things follow from that. First, if your family is in a city like Kochi, Hyderabad or Ahmedabad, you may not need to fly into Delhi or Mumbai and take a domestic flight. Second, Scoot is worth a look for travellers who pack light, while the full-service fare may work out cheaper once bags are added. Compare both with the same baggage.

Singapore is not the only hub. Airlines on ShopBack Australia that are worth pricing for India include Air India, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and Emirates, alongside booking sites such as Booking.com and Agoda for the hotel at the other end. Check each airline's own site for the routes it flies from your city.

Cheap flights to India from Australia in 2026: what to know before you search

In 2026 the things that move the fare most are your dates, your departure city and what the fare includes. A few points that are easy to miss:

• School holidays push fares up. The long summer school break over December and January is when many Australian families visit relatives in India. If you can travel outside it, you are usually competing for fewer seats.
• Festival weeks are busy. Diwali usually falls in October or November, and weeks around big family events and festivals tend to be in demand.
• Open-jaw trips can help. Flying into one Indian city and home from another can save a domestic flight and a day of travel. Search it as a multi-city trip and compare the total.
• Long connections are not always cheaper. Some of the lowest fares come with a long wait at the hub. Put a value on your time and compare the next fare up.
• Book early for peak dates. If your dates are fixed to a peak period, waiting for a sale is a gamble. Booking early usually gives you more fares to choose from.

Cheap flights to India: best deals from Australia in 2026

The best deals on flights to India usually come from airline fare sales, member prices on booking sites and flexible dates, rather than from codes found online. Where to look:

• Airline sales. Airlines run fare sales from time to time. Sign up to the emails of the airlines you would fly, so you hear about a sale before the cheapest seats go.
• Member prices. Booking sites show some prices only to signed-in members. Expedia's programme is called One Key, and Trip.com runs Trip.com Rewards. Sign in before you search.
• Price guarantees. According to Trip.com's service guarantee page at the time of writing, Trip.com guarantees that the price of a flight booking will not change after payment is confirmed, and says its customer support is available 24/7 by chat or phone.
• Flexible dates. Moving a trip a week or two away from school holidays can be the biggest single saving.

Whichever deal wins, booking through ShopBack lowers the cost of the trip, and you still book on the site you chose.

Trip.com vs Expedia: cheap flights to India price comparison for 2026

Neither site is cheaper every time, so the fair comparison is the same flights, dates and baggage on both. Each has its own strengths:

What to compare	Trip.com	Expedia
Often used for	Flight-only searches, especially into Asia and India	Building a trip with flights, hotel and car in one place
Member programme	Trip.com Rewards	One Key, shared with Hotels.com and Vrbo
Flight price promise	Price does not change after payment is confirmed, according to Trip.com	Check Expedia's own booking terms
How to compare fairly	Note the total with bags and any service fee shown	Note the total with bags for the same flights

Search the same airline and flight numbers on both if you can, so you are comparing the booking site and not two different routings. Then check the store page on ShopBack for each site, because what comes back after you pay changes the real cost of the trip.

Trip.com and Expedia flights to India from Australia: how to use each

Use Trip.com when you want a flight-only fare to India and Expedia when you want the flight and the hotel together. A simple way to split it:

• Trip.com for return or multi-city flights to India, especially when you want to compare several Asian connections side by side. Go through the Trip.com page on ShopBack before you book.
• Expedia when you want to book the flight and a hotel in Delhi, Mumbai or Goa together, or add a car. Go through the Expedia page on ShopBack first.
• The airline's own site when you want to manage changes directly with the airline, or when the airline shows a fare the booking sites do not. Singapore Airlines and Air India both have store pages on ShopBack Australia.

Read the ticket type rules on each store page before you book for a family, because some ticket types and bundles may be treated differently.

Cheapest month for flights to India from Australia in 2026: using price data

There is no single cheapest month every year, so use real price data for your own route rather than a published rule. As a rule of thumb, fares are usually higher in the December and January school holidays and around Diwali, and lower in shoulder weeks away from those peaks.

How to find the cheapest month for your trip:

1. Use a fare calendar or flexible-dates view. Most booking sites can show prices across a month. Look for the cheapest week, not the cheapest day.
2. Set a price alert for your route on the site you plan to book with, and watch it for a couple of weeks before you commit.
3. Check your state's school holiday dates before you lock in family travel.
4. Compare the cheapest week on two sites, then book it through ShopBack Australia so the trip costs less after you pay.

How ShopBack lowers the cost of a flight to India

ShopBack Australia is a step you take before you book: open the booking site from ShopBack, book as normal, and part of what you spend comes back as cash. Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles.

Check the live rate on the store's ShopBack page when you book. It is usually worked out on the eligible part of the booking, so taxes and fees may not count.

The steps:

1. Open the Trip.com, Expedia or Singapore Airlines page on ShopBack Australia.
2. Tap through to the site and search your flights in the same session.
3. Book and pay as normal.
4. The cash shows as pending and is confirmed after your trip, as set out on the store page.

Can you use promo codes and still save through ShopBack?

Usually not on Trip.com, and it depends on the site elsewhere, so read the store page before you book. The Trip.com page on ShopBack Australia says: "Promo, coupon, or discount codes make your entire Trip.com order ineligible for Cashback." So if you find a Trip.com code, work out which saves more: the code, or what ShopBack would return at the rate shown on the store page.

For other sites, the terms on each ShopBack store page say which codes, bookings and loyalty programmes count. Credit card points are a separate matter between you and your bank, under your card's terms. Check the store page every time, because terms can change.

Key takeaways

• Compare one-stop fares through hubs such as Singapore against any non-stop option, using the total price with bags.
• Singapore Airlines lists flights from seven Australian cities and to eight Indian cities on its network page, with Scoot adding more.
• Fares are usually higher in the December and January school holidays and around Diwali.
• Price the same flights on Trip.com and Expedia, and on the airline's own site.
• Before you check out, go through ShopBack Australia so the trip costs less after you pay.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the cheapest flights to India from Australia?

The cheapest flights to India from Australia are usually found by comparing one-stop fares through an Asian hub such as Singapore against any non-stop option, on dates outside Australian school holidays and Indian festival peaks. Price the same dates on Trip.com, Expedia and the airline's own site, check the baggage included, then go through ShopBack Australia before you check out so the trip costs less.

How do I find cheap flights to India from Australia in 2026?

Search a few weeks of dates rather than one day, compare at least two departure cities if you can get to either, look at one-stop fares through Singapore, and compare the total with checked bags on two or three booking sites. When you have the cheapest option, open the booking site from ShopBack Australia and book as normal.

Which airlines fly from Australia to India with one stop in Singapore?

According to Singapore Airlines' network page at the time of writing, Singapore Airlines flies to Singapore from Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, and on to Indian cities including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai. The same page lists Scoot flights from Melbourne, Perth and Sydney and to Indian cities such as Amritsar, Chennai, Coimbatore and Thiruvananthapuram.

Is Trip.com or Expedia cheaper for flights to India?

Neither is cheaper every time, because fares change by date and airline. Many travellers use Trip.com for flight-only searches into Asia and India, and Expedia when they want flights, hotel and car in one place. Search the same dates, airline and baggage on both, compare the final total, and book the cheaper one through ShopBack Australia.

What is the cheapest month to fly to India from Australia?

There is no single cheapest month every year, because fares move with demand. Fares are usually higher over the Australian summer school holidays in December and January and around major Indian festivals such as Diwali, which usually falls in October or November. Shoulder months away from those peaks are often cheaper, so compare a few weeks of real fares for your own route.

When are flights to India from Australia most expensive?

Flights to India from Australia are usually most expensive when families travel: the December and January school holidays, other state school holidays, and the weeks around Diwali and big family events. If your dates are fixed to one of these periods, book early and compare one-stop routings through more than one hub city.

Does Trip.com guarantee the price of a flight after I pay?

According to Trip.com's service guarantee page at the time of writing, Trip.com guarantees that the price of a flight booking will not change after payment is confirmed. If a ticket is not issued because of a Trip.com fault and the fare rises, Trip.com says it covers the difference. Read the full terms on Trip.com before you book.

Can I use a promo code on Trip.com and still save through ShopBack?

Usually not. The Trip.com page on ShopBack Australia says: Promo, coupon, or discount codes make your entire Trip.com order ineligible for Cashback. If a code saves more than ShopBack would return, use the code; otherwise skip it and go through ShopBack before you check out.

How does ShopBack lower the cost of a flight to India?

Booking through ShopBack lowers the cost of the trip, and you still book on the site you chose. You open Trip.com, Expedia or the airline from ShopBack Australia, book as normal, and part of what you spent comes back as cash. Check the live rate on the store's ShopBack page before you book.

Which other airlines and travel sites are on ShopBack Australia?

Alongside Trip.com, Expedia and Singapore Airlines, ShopBack Australia has store pages for Air India, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Booking.com and Agoda. Each store page shows its own live rate and terms, so check it before you book.

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Related reads

• Where Are the Best Travel Deals for Australians?
• Best Last-Minute Flight Deals in Australia
• How to Find Cheap Business Class Flights From Australia
• Trip.com Discounts in Australia
• How to Earn Cashback on Travel Bookings

Book through ShopBack Australia: Trip.com · Expedia · Singapore Airlines · Air India · Malaysia Airlines · Qatar Airways

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Disclaimer

The views in this article are those of the author and are for general information only. Routes, fares, baggage rules, service guarantees and member programmes are set by each airline and booking site and can change; the route lists quoted were shown on Singapore Airlines' network page, and the guarantee wording on Trip.com's service guarantee page, on 9 October 2026. Rates and eligibility on ShopBack vary by store, booking type and campaign; check the live rate and terms on each store's ShopBack page before you book. This article is not financial advice.