Hi, your friend need to in such a hurry to catch the flight if go from Ningbo, since the fastest train from Ningbo to Shanghai needs 3 hours and 5 minutes and the slowest needs 4 hours. When go from train station to the airport, another 1 hour may be needed which not including the time for waiting for the airport shuttle bus, however, the earliest train from Ningbo is at 07:15 in the morning, presume 4.5 hours on the way, your friend would arrive at the airport at around 12:00. There would some times be traffic jam on the way, so, I recommend you friend go to Shanghai the previous day and go to the airport on the next morning.