IGI Airport posts 244% rise in international transfers in 2 years

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport has recorded a 244 per cent rise in international-to-international transfers in just two years, growing from 3.88 lakh passengers in FY2023 to 13.4 lakh in FY2025, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The dramatic surge highlights how Delhi Airport, managed by the GMR Aero-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), is emerging as a strategic transit hub in line with India’s aviation policy push to capture traffic that has traditionally been routed through Gulf and Southeast Asian hubs.

Overall transfer traffic at the airport also rose 30.6 per cent in the same period, from 15.6 million in FY2023 to 20.3 million in FY2025. But, it is the international layover segment that stands out, far outpacing domestic transfers, which grew by nearly 16 per cent.

DIAL CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said the growth reflects the government’s strategy: “Aligned with the Government of India’s vision to position Delhi as a leading international transit gateway, we have been continuously working to build a hub that connects continents and provides a world-class passenger experience.”

Delhi Airport already offers the strongest direct links to North America and Europe from South and Southeast Asia, as per the IATA Airport IS data.

Meanwhile, the Central Asia–Thailand corridor has also provided an early glimpse of the potential: IndiGo’s new links from Almaty, Tashkent, Tbilisi and Baku to Bangkok and Phuket have triggered a five-fold increase in transfers through Delhi.

With Air India and IndiGo expanding their wide-body fleets and launching new long-haul services, analysts say Delhi could challenge established hubs such as Dubai and Doha in retaining passenger traffic and revenue within India.

This growth carries wider economic implications, from strengthening airline finances to boosting tourism, services and foreign exchange retention.