Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu flags off Transshipment Cargo Operations at Delhi's IGI Airport
India has just taken a major step toward becoming a global cargo transshipment hub.
Reform Milestone
- Flagged off by: Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu
- Location: Transshipment Excellence Centre (TEC), IGI Airport, Terminal 2, Delhi
- Key reform: Removal of mandatory re-screening of transshipment cargo, cutting delays and costs
Proof of Concept Success
- Route tested: Chennai → Delhi → Frankfurt (launched 20 June 2026)
- Operator: Air India
- Results:
- Transit time reduced from 60 hours → 20 hours
- Cargo transshipped: 280 MT
- Aircraft utilization: 75% → nearly 100%
Expansion Phase
- New domestic origins: Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad
- New international destinations: London, Copenhagen
- Impact: Air India’s monthly cargo carriage projected to rise 80% (1,763 MT → 3,183 MT)
Strategic Vision
- Immediate focus: Domestic-to-International transshipment
- Long-term goal: Position India as a global cargo hub, expanding to International-to-International and International-to-Domestic flows
- Reform backed by revised AVSEC Circular No. 6/2024 (Addendum-II) allowing secured cargo transfer without re-screening
Collaboration
Stakeholders involved: DIAL, BCAS, CISF, Customs, Air India, AAI, MoCA — all working together to streamline India’s cargo ecosystem.
This reform mirrors India’s earlier push to strengthen hub-and-spoke passenger operations, now extended to cargo. It’s a strategic move to leverage India’s geographic advantage between East and West.
