India Transshipment Cargo Reform: Delhi Airport Cuts Transit Time from 60 to 20 Hours
India has taken a significant step towards improving the efficiency of its air cargo sector with the launch of the scaled-up phase of the country’s transshipment cargo reform. Union Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Ram Mohan Naidu flagged off the initiative at the Transshipment Excellence Centre (TEC) of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) at IGI Airport, Terminal 2.
The reform aims to simplify the movement of transshipment cargo through Indian airports by addressing one of the long-standing bottlenecks in the existing process—the mandatory re-screening of transshipment cargo.
According to the Civil Aviation Minister, removing this requirement can help reduce cargo turnaround time, handling costs and congestion at airport cargo terminals, while also improving India’s competitiveness as an international air cargo hub.
Transshipment Cargo Reform to Improve Ease of Doing Business
Speaking at the event, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that the government is continuously working to strengthen the Ease of Doing Business in the aviation sector.
The reform has been developed after considering feedback from the aviation and cargo industry. One of the major concerns identified was the requirement for mandatory re-screening of transshipment cargo.
By removing this additional screening requirement under the new framework, the government expects cargo to move more quickly through airports, reducing delays and improving operational efficiency.
The reform is expected to benefit airlines, cargo operators, logistics companies and other stakeholders involved in international air freight.
Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt Route Used for Proof of Concept
Before scaling up the reform, the government conducted a Proof of Concept (PoC) exercise on the Chennai–Delhi–Frankfurt air cargo route.
The PoC for Domestic-to-International transshipment began on June 20, 2026.
The exercise used the Transshipment Excellence Centre at Delhi Airport, while Air India operated the service end-to-end.
The objective was to test whether the new transshipment process could significantly reduce the time required to move cargo from a domestic airport through an Indian international gateway to its final international destination.
Transit Time Reduced from 60 Hours to 20 Hours
One of the most significant outcomes of the Proof of Concept has been the reduction in average end-to-end transit time.
Under the earlier process, the average transit time was around 60 hours.
The PoC demonstrated that this could be reduced to approximately 20 hours.
This represents a reduction of around 40 hours, highlighting the potential of the new transshipment framework to significantly improve the speed of cargo movement through Indian airports.
The reduction in transit time can be particularly important for time-sensitive shipments where delays can increase logistics costs and affect supply chains.
280 MT of Cargo Transshipped During PoC
Since the launch of the Proof of Concept on June 20, 2026, around 280 metric tonnes (MT) of cargo have been transshipped through the system.
The exercise also produced encouraging results in terms of aircraft capacity utilisation.
According to the government, aircraft capacity utilisation increased from around 75% to nearly 100% during the PoC.
This indicates that a more efficient transshipment process can help airlines make better use of available cargo capacity.
What Is Transshipment Cargo?
Transshipment cargo refers to goods that are transported through an intermediate airport before reaching their final destination.
For example, under the Chennai–Delhi–Frankfurt route used in the Proof of Concept, cargo originating in Chennai is moved to Delhi and then transported onward to Frankfurt.
Delhi therefore acts as the connecting/transshipment point between the domestic origin and international destination.
A faster transshipment process can make such routes more attractive to airlines and logistics operators.
Why Removing Mandatory Re-Screening Matters
Mandatory re-screening of cargo at a transshipment airport can add additional processing time to the logistics chain.
Cargo may need to undergo additional handling and security-related processes before being transferred to the onward international flight.
The new reform seeks to remove this bottleneck under the applicable transshipment framework.
According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, doing away with mandatory re-screening can help achieve three major objectives:
- Reduce cargo turnaround time
- Lower handling costs
- Reduce congestion at cargo terminals
These improvements can make Indian airports more efficient for international cargo movement.
Delhi Airport’s Transshipment Excellence Centre
The scaled-up phase was launched at DIAL’s Transshipment Excellence Centre (TEC) at IGI Airport’s Terminal 2.
The centre plays an important role in facilitating the transshipment process and was also used during the Proof of Concept.
The successful operation of the Chennai–Delhi–Frankfurt route through the TEC provided a practical demonstration of how the revised process can work in real-world cargo operations.
What the Reform Means for India’s Air Cargo Sector
India’s growing manufacturing, e-commerce and international trade sectors require faster and more reliable logistics infrastructure.
Air cargo is particularly important for high-value and time-sensitive products. Faster transit through Indian airports can help improve supply-chain efficiency and potentially make Indian airports more attractive as regional cargo hubs.
The results of the Chennai–Delhi–Frankfurt PoC—particularly the reduction in transit time from 60 hours to 20 hours and the increase in aircraft capacity utilisation from 75% to nearly 100%—demonstrate the potential benefits of the reform.
India Moves Towards More Efficient Cargo Movement
The launch of the scaled-up transshipment cargo reform marks an important development in India’s aviation and logistics sector.
The government’s focus is not only on increasing airport infrastructure but also on making existing cargo operations faster, simpler and more efficient.
The successful Proof of Concept provides an operational foundation for scaling up the reform. With the removal of identified process bottlenecks and improved handling of transshipment cargo, the initiative could help strengthen India’s position in international air cargo and logistics.