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The Civil Aviation Ministry has reviewed Delhi airport’s preparedness to implement a hub-and-spoke model aimed at improving domestic and international connectivity. The approach will connect Tier II and III cities under the UDAN scheme with global destinations through major hubs. With a large share of Indian passengers currently transiting via foreign hubs, the government is working to position key airports as global transit centres. The plan is expected to improve passenger movement, create jobs, and significantly contribute to the economy over the long term.
The Civil Aviation Ministry recently held a stakeholder meeting to assess how ready Delhi airport is for hub-and-spoke operations, as part of a broader plan to strengthen India’s position in global aviation. Advertisement
The hub-and-spoke model is intended to improve connectivity between smaller cities and international destinations. Airports developed under the UDAN regional connectivity scheme are expected to play a key role by feeding passengers into larger hub airports for onward travel abroad.
At present, around 35 percent of international passengers from India use foreign transit hubs such as Dubai, London, and Singapore. To address this, the government is working on developing major airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Chennai into global transit hubs.
According to the ministry, this strategy marks a shift in India’s aviation approach, moving from being largely a destination market to becoming a transit hub. The aim is to retain a larger share of international transfer traffic within the country, which is currently routed through overseas airports.
Delhi airport, the largest in the country, has the capacity to handle more than 100 million passengers annually. Work has already begun to create slot banks that will enable faster and more efficient transfers for passengers.
Under the proposed model, passengers travelling from smaller cities will be consolidated at major hubs like Delhi for international connections. At the originating spoke airport, travellers will receive separate boarding passes for domestic and international segments, marked clearly for ease of identification.
For outbound passengers, customs and immigration formalities will be completed at the first point of exit, which will be the spoke airport. Similarly, inbound passengers will complete these processes at their final destination within the country, again at the spoke airport.
The model also ensures that baggage for international passengers is transferred smoothly through airside operations at the hub airport, reducing the need for repeated handling.
The ministry clarified that to maintain operational efficiency and regulatory clarity, combination flights will not be allowed. Separate aircraft will be used for domestic and international legs of the journey.
The strategy has been developed after detailed discussions across departments. The minister acknowledged the role of the Home Ministry in supporting the proposal.
India’s geographical position between the eastern and western hemispheres has been identified as a key advantage in developing global transit hubs. The government believes this can help attract more international traffic through Indian airports.
Looking ahead, the hub-and-spoke model is projected to have a significant economic impact. By 2047, it is expected to generate around 16 million direct and indirect jobs and contribute nearly USD 1.4 trillion to the Indian economy.
Source PTI
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