Transshipment cargo reform scaled up at Delhi's IGI Airport
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on 19 August 2026 flagged off the scaled-up transshipment cargo operations at Delhi's IGI Airport, adding four domestic origins and two new international destinations.
Summary
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on 19 August 2026 flagged off the scaled-up phase of India's transshipment cargo reform at the Transshipment Excellence Centre of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), IGI Airport Terminal 2. The reform removes mandatory re-screening of secured transshipment cargo, which was permitted through Transfer Cargo Security Hold Areas under a framework notified by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) in July 2025. A proof of concept on the Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt route from 20 June 2026 cut average transit time from 60 hours to 20 hours. The network now adds Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Hyderabad as origins and London and Copenhagen as destinations, and Air India's monthly cargo on these lanes is projected to rise from 1,763 MT to 3,183 MT.
Key facts
- Venue
- DIAL Transshipment Excellence Centre, IGI Airport T2
- Reform
- No mandatory re-screening of secured transshipment cargo
- Proof of concept
- Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt, from 20 June 2026
- Transit time
- 60 hours cut to 20 hours
- New origins
- Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad
- New destinations
- London, Copenhagen
Practice MCQs 3 questions
On which route was the proof of concept for domestic-to-international transshipment cargo run from 20 June 2026?
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Correct answer: B — Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt
The proof of concept ran on the Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt sector using DIAL's Transshipment Excellence Centre, with Air India operating end-to-end.
By how much did the transshipment proof of concept reduce average end-to-end transit time?
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Correct answer: D — From 60 hours to 20 hours
Ram Mohan Naidu said the proof of concept cut average end-to-end transit time from 60 hours to 20 hours.
Consider the following statements about the transshipment cargo reform at IGI Airport: 1. London and Copenhagen were added as new international destinations on 19 August 2026. 2. The framework allowing secured transshipment cargo to move without re-screening was notified by the DGCA. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 only
Only statement 1 is correct. The framework was notified by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) through Addendum-II to AVSEC Circular No. 6/2024 on 21 July 2025.