**Executive Summary**
On April 23, 2026, Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu reviewed Delhi Airport’s readiness for hub-and-spoke operations. The meeting and subsequent site inspection aimed to advance the International Aviation Hub Strategy, which seeks to position India as a global transit hub by 2047. Key focus areas include decentralizing customs processes, enhancing cargo efficiency, and streamlining passenger transfers to compete with existing foreign hubs.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Strategic Vision and Objectives**
* **Global Transit Shift:** Transition India from an end-destination market to a global transit hub to capture transfer traffic currently routed through cities like Dubai, London, and Singapore.
* **Long-term Targets:** Establish India as a preferred aviation hub for domestic passengers by 2030 and for global travelers by 2047.
* **Economic Impact:** The initiative is projected to contribute USD 1.4 trillion to the Indian economy and generate 16 million direct and indirect jobs by 2047.
**Operational Implementation**
* **Decentralized Processes:** Customs and immigration formalities for both inbound and outbound passengers will be completed at "spoke" airports rather than hub airports.
* **Passenger Handling:** Outbound transit passengers will receive two boarding passes (marked ‘D’ for domestic and ‘I’ for international) at the spoke airport and will not have access to customs facilities during hub transit.
* **Baggage Transfer:** Baggage will be transferred seamlessly through airside operations at the hub airport, eliminating the need for passenger intervention.
* **Infrastructure Management:** Delhi Airport is implementing "slot banks" to facilitate efficient transfers, while DigiYatra technology will be used to streamline passenger movement.
* **Flight Regulations:** To maintain regulatory clarity, "combination flights" are prohibited; separate aircraft must be deployed for domestic and international segments.
**Air Cargo Enhancements**
* **Efficiency Measures:** Elimination of re-screening requirements for transshipment cargo to reduce turnaround times.
* **Digitization:** Implementation of digital approvals and documentation processes to strengthen India’s position as a global air cargo hub.
**Impact Analysis**
**Passengers**
**Impact**
Travelers from Tier-II and Tier-III cities will experience reduced travel times and seamless connectivity to international destinations. They will benefit from "intervention-free" baggage transfers at hub airports.
**Action Required**
Passengers must complete all customs and immigration formalities at their initial point of exit (spoke airport) for outbound trips or their final point of entry for inbound trips.
**Airlines (Domestic and International)**
**Impact**
Airlines can deploy aircraft more efficiently and expand global reach through liberalized code-share arrangements and strengthened bilateral agreements.
**Action Required**
Airlines must deploy separate aircraft for domestic and international segments of hub-and-spoke operations, as combination flights are not permitted. They are also encouraged to continue investing in wide-body aircraft to support long-haul connectivity.
**Airport Operators (DIAL / AAI)**
**Impact**
Major hubs, particularly Delhi, will see increased transfer traffic and must manage higher operational complexity.
**Action Required**
Operators must establish and maintain "slot banks" to ensure quick transfers and integrate technology-driven solutions like DigiYatra to manage passenger flow.
**Regulatory and Security Agencies (Customs, BoI, BCAS, CISF)**
**Impact**
Workloads for customs and immigration will shift from major international hubs to regional spoke airports.
**Action Required**
Agencies must decentralize operations to spoke locations and implement digitized approval processes for cargo and passenger facilitation. Security protocols must be adjusted to allow for the elimination of re-screening for transshipment cargo.
Key Entities Referenced
International Aviation Hub Strategy: A government framework designed to transform India into a global transit hub through the implementation of hub-and-spoke operations and streamlined transshipment processes.
National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016: The foundational policy providing the roadmap to position India as a leading global aviation hub for passengers and cargo by 2047.
UDAN Scheme: A regional connectivity program that facilitates the development of Tier-II and Tier-III airports, serving as the feeder 'spokes' for major international hubs.
Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA): The primary ministry responsible for overseeing the implementation of aviation hub strategies and coordinating with stakeholders like DGCA, BCAS, and AAI.
Delhi International Airport: The central location for the operational readiness review of the hub-and-spoke model, including decentralized customs and immigration processes.
Ministry of Civil Aviation
Minister Ram Mohan Naidu chairs high-level
stakeholder meeting at Delhi Airport
Civil Aviation Minister Reviews Readiness for Hub-and-Spoke
Operations
Posted On: 23 APR 2026 10:04PM by PIB Delhi
Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Ram Mohan Naidu, today reviewed the readiness of Delhi Airport for the
implementation of hub-and-spoke operations, chairing a high-level meeting with all key stakeholders at
the airport. The meeting was attended by senior officials including Secretary Civil Aviation and
representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Bureau of
Immigration (BoI), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), Customs, Airports Authority of India
(AAI), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), CISF, DigiYatra, Delhi International Airport
Limited (DIAL) and leading airlines.
The Minister also led a delegation for an on-ground walkthrough of passenger flow systems and inspected
the Security Hold Area (SHA) at Terminal 3 of Delhi Airport to assess operational preparedness.The National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016, formulated under the decisive and visionary leadership
of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, laid out a clear roadmap for positioning India as an aviation hub of
choice for Indian passengers by 2030 and for the world by 2047. In furtherance of this vision, the
Government has developed an International Aviation Hub Strategy, under which several key measures
have been undertaken. These include adopting a calibrated approach in granting Points of Call to foreign
carriers, particularly for non-metro destinations, renegotiating bilateral agreements in a manner that
strengthens Indian carriers and promotes domestic hubs and liberalizing domestic code-share
arrangements to enable Indian airlines to expand their global reach.
During the deliberations, the Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated, “India’s unique geographical location
between the eastern and western hemispheres provides a natural advantage in emerging as a global transit
hub. And we have developed the strategy after extensive deliberations with all the stakeholders and I amdeeply grateful to Hon’ble Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji for his active support in advancing the
proposal.”
Elaborating on the significance of the hub-and-spoke model, the Minister stated that it will enable
seamless connectivity between Tier-II and Tier-III airports developed through visionary UDAN scheme of
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the international destinations. He noted that while the passengers
will benefit from reduced travel time, there will also be optimal utilization of the infrastructure already
developed across the country.
The Hub and Spoke Strategy represent a shift in India’s aviation landscape from being primarily an end-
destination market to evolving into a global transit hub, thereby allowing Indian airports to capture a
substantial share of transfer traffic that is currently routed through foreign hubs.
Sharing the Government’s hub vision, Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated, “At present, nearly 35 percent
of international passengers travelling from India transit through foreign hubs such as Dubai, London and
Singapore. Our aim is to reverse this trend by developing globally competitive Indian hubs like Delhi,
Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai.”
Mentioning the example of IGI Airport, Minister said, “Delhi Airport stands out with its capacity
exceeding 100 million passengers annually, handling nearly 50 percent of the total passenger traffic in the
northern region and managing around 50,000 daily transfers, thereby positioning itself as a natural hub
airport.”
In addition to passenger facilitation, the strategy places strong emphasis on strengthening India’s position
as a global air cargo hub. Measures such as the elimination of re-screening requirements for transshipment
cargo and the digitization of cargo-related approvals and documentation processes are expected to
significantly enhance efficiency and reduce turnaround times.
Highlighting the significance of the model, Minister Ram Mohan Naidu mentioned, “The hub-and-spoke
model is also set to have far-reaching economic implications along with increased connectivity across
regions. By 2047, the cumulative impact of this initiative is projected to generate approximately 16
million direct and indirect jobs and contribute nearly USD 1.4 trillion to the Indian economy.”The implementation of the hub-and-spoke model will also enable airlines to deploy their aircraft more
efficiently for international operations, while contributing to decongestion at major airports by
decentralizing customs and immigration processes to spoke locations.
While appreciating active involvement of all the stakeholders, Minister Ram Mohan Naidu appreciated
that Indian airlines have placed significant orders for wide-body aircraft, which will enhance long-haul
connectivity and support hub operations. At the same time, Delhi Airport has initiated work on creating
slot banks to facilitate quicker and more efficient passenger transfers. The adoption of technology-driven
solutions, including DigiYatra, will further streamline the movement of passengers, particularly those
transferring between domestic and international segments.
Under the hub-and-spoke model, passengers arriving from various smaller cities will be consolidated in a
coordinated manner and routed through major hub airports such as Delhi for onward international
connections. Outbound flights will carry both originating domestic passengers and international transit
passengers. At the spoke airport, passengers will be issued two separate boarding passes, clearly marked
with ‘D’ (domestic) and ‘I’ (international) indicators. Customs and immigration formalities for outbound
passengers will be completed at the first point of exit from the country, which will be the spoke airport,
and passengers on such outbound journeys will not have access to customs declaration facilities during
transit.
For inbound passengers, customs and immigration processes will take place at the final point of entry into
the country, which will again be the spoke airport. The model further envisages that baggage for both
inbound and outbound international passengers will be transferred seamlessly through airside operations at
the hub airport, eliminating the need for passenger intervention. In order to maintain operational efficiency
and regulatory clarity, combination flights will not be permitted, and separate aircraft will be deployed for
the domestic and international segments of hub-and-spoke operations.
Recognizing India’s strategic location and rapidly growing air traffic potential, the Ministry of Civil
Aviation remains committed to transforming the country into a leading global aviation hub by 2047.
****
Divyanshu Kumar
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