What makes Delhi airport the country’s largest aviation hub?

One in every four passengers transiting through the Delhi airport has strengthened its position as the country's largest aviation hub. According to data from GMR Airports Ltd, in May 2026, Delhi Airport handled approximately 1.9 million transfer passengers, accounting for 27% of the airport’s total traffic of 7.14 million, a rise from April 2026, when transfer passenger volumes stood at 1.54 million (23%).

The upward trend is even more pronounced year-on-year, with the share of transfer passengers increasing from around 20% in May 2025 to 27% in May 2026.

On average, Delhi Airport facilitates nearly 56,000 transfer passengers every day, highlighting its growing role as a preferred transit gateway connecting destinations across India and the world.
The increase in transfer traffic reflects the strength of Delhi Airport's extensive route network, robust airline partnerships, integrated terminal operations and passenger-centric infrastructure, which together enable seamless connectivity for domestic and international travellers.

Domestic transfers’ biggest contributor

Domestic-to-domestic (D-D) transfers continue to be the largest contributor, accounting for 61% of total transfer traffic, underscoring Delhi Airport's critical role in connecting metropolitan cities with emerging economic centres, tourism destinations and regions across the country.

Popular transfer routes include Pune–Delhi–Srinagar, Srinagar–Delhi–Pune, and Kolkata–Delhi–Srinagar.

Delhi Airport 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's hub ecosystem is further strengthened by leading airline partners, with IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express accounting for a substantial share of transfer traffic through Delhi.

"The steady growth in transfer passenger traffic is a strong endorsement of Delhi Airport's position as India's leading aviation hub. Today, more than one in every four passengers travelling through Delhi Airport is a transit passenger, reflecting the confidence that airlines and travellers place in our connectivity, operational efficiency and seamless travel experience,” said

Pradeep Panicker, Chief Executive Officer, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

He says with India emerging as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets globally, Delhi Airport is uniquely positioned to serve as a key gateway connecting domestic and international networks.

“Even as we navigate a turbulent aviation environment marked by the Middle East crisis and high ATF prices, DIAL continues to work closely with both domestic and international carriers to strengthen connectivity, align networks, benefit transfer passengers, and sustain its position as one of the largest transfer hubs in the region,” he added.