NEW DELHI: Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu has flagged off the expanded phase of India’s air cargo transshipment reform at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, connecting Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Hyderabad with international destinations London and Copenhagen through the Transshipment Excellence Centre. The expansion follows a successful proof-of-concept on the Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt route, aimed at improving cargo connectivity and efficiency.
The initiative is designed to reduce cargo transit time, handling costs and congestion by allowing secured transshipment cargo to move through dedicated facilities without mandatory re-screening, subject to prescribed security safeguards. Since the pilot began on June 20, around 280 metric tonnes of cargo has been transshipped through Delhi, while aircraft capacity utilisation rose from 75 per cent to nearly 100 per cent. The reform reduced transit time on the Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt route from about 60 hours to 20 hours.
Naidu said the government aims to triple India’s air cargo volume by 2030 and develop the country into a global air cargo transshipment hub. He highlighted the benefits of faster cargo movement for farmers and exporters, particularly those dealing in perishable agricultural products. The government plans to further expand the network and introduce International-to-International and International-to-Domestic transshipment, strengthening India’s position as a competitive global aviation hub.
