India has expanded its domestic-to-international air cargo transshipment network through Delhi, with Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu flagging off the scaled-up phase of the initiative at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday.
The expanded network will connect four major domestic cargo origins, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Hyderabad, with international destinations London and Copenhagen through Delhi Airport’s Transshipment Excellence Centre (TEC).
The expansion follows the successful completion of a proof-of-concept (PoC) project on the Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt route, which demonstrated the potential of Delhi to serve as a central transshipment hub for domestic cargo bound for international destinations.
The PoC began on June 20, 2026, with Air India handling the service end-to-end. Since its launch, around 280 metric tonnes of cargo has been transshipped through the Delhi facility. The initiative also helped increase aircraft capacity utilisation from around 75% to nearly 100%.
With the expanded network, Air India’s monthly cargo carriage on the covered routes is expected to rise from 1,763 metric tonnes to 3,183 metric tonnes, an increase of nearly 80%.
Speaking at the TEC at Terminal 2 of Delhi Airport, Naidu said the reform is designed to reduce cargo turnaround time, handling costs and congestion at airport cargo terminals.
The Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt PoC reduced average end-to-end transit time from around 60 hours to just 20 hours, highlighting the operational benefits of routing domestic cargo through a dedicated transshipment facility at Delhi.
Delhi Airport emerges as a key cargo transshipment hub
Naidu said the government intends to build on the initial success and gradually position India as a global air cargo transshipment hub by leveraging its geographic location between major markets in the East and West.
“While our immediate focus is on Domestic-to-International transshipment, our larger ambition is to position India as a global cargo transshipment hub,” Naidu said.
The framework is expected to eventually cover International-to-International and International-to-Domestic transshipment as well, widening the role of Indian airports in global cargo flows.
A key enabler of the reform is the revised security framework notified by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) through Addendum-II to AVSEC Circular No. 6/2024 on July 21, 2025.
Under the revised framework, secured transshipment cargo can move through designated Transfer Cargo Security Hold Areas (TCSHAs) without mandatory re-screening, provided prescribed security requirements are met.
The removal of mandatory re-screening addresses a long-standing concern for the air cargo industry and can significantly improve the speed and cost efficiency of transshipment operations.
Building Delhi into a global air cargo gateway
The government sees the initiative as part of a broader strategy to strengthen India’s airports as international transit hubs. While hub-and-spoke connectivity has already been expanded in the passenger segment, similar infrastructure and regulatory reforms are now being extended to air cargo.
Delhi Airport’s TEC is expected to play a central role in this transition by consolidating domestic cargo before its onward movement to international destinations.
Naidu also acknowledged the role of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), BCAS, CISF, airlines, Customs and other stakeholders in implementing the transshipment model.
The Civil Aviation Ministry said more domestic origin stations and international destinations are expected to be added in the coming months. The expansion could strengthen Delhi’s position as a key cargo gateway while improving India’s connectivity with global air freight markets.
