NEW DELHI: Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has registered a 34% increase in international transit passengers in a year, reinforcing its status as country’s leading global hub connecting Asia and Europe. The GMR Aero-led consortium operating IGIA said in a statement that the airport handled over 6.7 lakh East–West–East transit passengers between September 2024 and August 2025, up from 4.98 lakh during the same period last year.
Of this, East-to-West passenger traffic grew 34%, while West-to-East traffic rose 35%, highlighting Delhi’s growing significance as a preferred international transfer point. IGIA now leads in connectivity to Japan, the UK, and Thailand, commanding 70%, 38%, and 26% of India’s total flight operations to these destinations, respectively.
Delhi Airport holds a 70% share of India–Japan operations, with 28 weekly flights to Tokyo’s twin airports — 21 to Haneda and 7 to Narita. From January 18, 2026, Japan Airlines will start a daily Delhi–Tokyo Narita service using a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, expected to carry 49,000 passengers annually.
To the West, Delhi commands a 38% share of India–UK operations, with 63 weekly flights — 56 to London Heathrow, 4 to Manchester, and 3 to Birmingham — making it the only Indian airport linking all three major UK cities. Air India and IndiGo together handle over 90% of Delhi’s total international traffic. Videh Kumar Jaipuria, DIAL CEO, said the airport continues to strengthen India’s position on the global aviation map, “truly serving as the gateway between the East and the West.”
