New Delhi, Aug 20: India has expanded its air cargo transshipment network to four additional domestic airports and two new international destinations, in a major step towards reducing cargo transit time and strengthening the country’s position as a global air cargo hub.
Pic Credit: Pexel
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu flagged off the expanded phase of the transshipment cargo reform at the Transshipment Excellence Centre (TEC) at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The reform is aimed at removing a long-standing bottleneck in cargo handling by allowing eligible secured transshipment cargo to move without mandatory re-screening, subject to prescribed security safeguards.
A proof-of-concept project on the Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt route began on June 20, with Air India operating the service. The trial handled around 280 metric tonnes of cargo and helped reduce average end-to-end transit time from about 60 hours to nearly 20 hours.
The successful trial has now been expanded to Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Hyderabad as additional domestic origin stations. London and Copenhagen have also been added as international destinations.
The expanded network is expected to significantly increase cargo movement on the identified routes. Air India’s monthly cargo carriage across these lanes is projected to rise from around 1,763 metric tonnes to 3,183 metric tonnes, representing an increase of nearly 80 per cent.
The reform is expected to bring down cargo handling costs, reduce congestion at airport terminals and improve the overall efficiency of India’s air freight network. Faster movement could also make Indian airports more attractive for exporters, importers and international cargo operators.
The government said the immediate focus is on domestic-to-international transshipment, while the framework is expected to be expanded in phases to cover international-to-international and international-to-domestic cargo movement.
The policy change follows the revised security framework notified by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security in July 2025, which allows secured transshipment cargo to move through dedicated Transfer Cargo Security Hold Areas without re-screening, subject to security requirements.
The expansion has involved coordination between airport operators, airlines, security agencies, Customs and other stakeholders.
With more domestic origins and international destinations expected to be added in the coming months, the government is looking to build a wider air cargo network that can position Indian airports as competitive transit points between major markets in the East and West.