NEW DELHI: The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) handled approximately 19 lakh transfer passengers out of an overall traffic of 71.4 lakh passengers last month, accounting for 27% of the total air traffic. This translates into an average of 56,000 transfer passengers per day, with domestic transfers emerging as the largest contributor, the airport said.
A release from the airport operator, GMR Airports Ltd, said the surge in this category of flyers marks a big rise from April, when transfer passenger traffic stood at 15.4 lakh, accounting for 23% of the month’s total traffic. “This upward trend is even more pronounced on a year-on-year basis, with the share of transfer passengers rising from around 20% in May 2025 to 27% in May 2026,” it said.
“Domestic-to-Domestic (D-D) transfers continue to be the largest contributor, accounting for 61% of total transfer traffic, underscoring the Delhi airport’s critical role in connecting metropolitan cities with emerging economic centres, tourism destinations and regions across the country,” the release said. Popular transfer routes include Pune–Delhi–Srinagar, Srinagar–Delhi–Pune and Kolkata–Delhi–Srinagar.
The IGIA is also witnessing strong growth in international transfer traffic, with key transit flows on routes such as Ahmedabad–Delhi–Toronto, Phuket–Delhi–London Heathrow, Dubai–Delhi–Patna and Kathmandu–Delhi–Tokyo. “This highlights the airport’s increasing importance as a strategic gateway linking South Asia with major destinations across North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region,” the airport said. The airport’s hub ecosystem is further strengthened by its leading airline partners, with IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express accounting for a substantial share of transfer traffic through Delhi.
Pradeep Panicker, CEO of Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), said, “The steady growth in transfer passenger traffic is a strong endorsement of the Delhi airport’s position as India’s leading aviation hub. Today, more than one in every four passengers travelling through the Delhi airport is a transit passenger, reflecting the confidence that airlines and travellers place in our connectivity, operational efficiency and seamless travel experience. With India emerging as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets globally, the Delhi airport is uniquely positioned to serve as a key gateway connecting domestic and international networks.”
Even as the aviation sector navigates a challenging operating environment marked by the West Asia crisis and high aviation turbine fuel prices, DIAL continues to work closely with domestic and international carriers to strengthen connectivity, align networks, enhance benefits for transfer passengers, and sustain its position as one of the largest transfer hubs in the region, the CEO added.