In a bid to establish an international hub within India, the government has asked the three companies to examine global best practices to ensure that international and domestic operations complement each other 
Special 
In a bid to establish an international hub within India, the government has asked the three companies to examine global best practices to ensure that international and domestic operations complement each other Buoyed by the strong recovery in both domestic and international traffic, the government is in advanced talks with market leaders IndiGo and Air India as well as India’s busiest airport, the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), to establish the country’s first international aviation hub in Delhi.
“It’s very important to look at setting up a hub within India to serve India. Today, unfortunately, our international hubs are not in India. Our international hubs are either located in countries close to our borders in the East or in the West,” civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told Business Today during an exclusive interaction.
Elaborating on the plan, Scindia said the Ministry of Civil Aviation was already in advanced talks with IGIA’s operator Delhi International Airport Ltd – a JV between GMR Group and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) – and carriers IndiGo and Air India.
The three companies have been asked to examine global best practices to iron out any scheduling-related uncertainties between international and domestic flights to provide enhanced connectivity from Delhi.
“We are simultaneously working on minimising the connecting time between two flights at airport terminals to offer greater flexibility. The concerned parties are in the process of engaging a consultant and then the process will move forward,” remarked Scindia.
Move necessitated by recent events
He said the need for an international hub had become imperative with Air India ordering 470 narrow and widebody aircraft from global original equipment makers (OEMs) Airbus and Boeing and IndiGo expanding by adding more international destinations to its route network. Besides, as India’s largest carrier by market share and fleet, IndiGo also has an additional 500 aircraft on order till 2030.
“We must venture into the international markets; we must eventually move into the long-haul markets, and we must be able to provide point-to-point travel for our domestic fliers internationally to ensure that we attract them to our carriers as opposed to their going via hubs lying outside the country’s western or eastern coasts,” reiterated the minister.
Presently huge chunk of passengers to and from India ends up utilising aviation hubs such as Dubai, Doha, Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur for their connecting flights.
Ever since IGIA overtook Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) as the country’s busiest airport in 2009, the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) has gradually emerged as the country’s leading aviation hub with several companies from the sector headquartered here. Besides, the first phase of one of the world’s largest under-construction airports, the Noida International Airport, is expected to be completed by the last quarter of 2024.
Closely monitoring airline bilaterals
On being asked if the government’s decision against awarding any more flights to foreign carriers under bilateral agreements was also prompted by its efforts to push the interests of Indian carriers and airports, Scindia said although they haven’t denied any offers the issue was under their close watch.
“As dictated by the terms of bilateral agreements, when our carriers reach 80 per cent capacity and seats start getting exhausted, we shall certainly look into it. But at this point in time, we are both looking at issues domestically as well as making sure that there’s enough connectivity available in international sectors,” he said without mincing any words.
Aviation experts said developing an international hub would have a multiplier effect on the economy.
“An international standard hub has a deep and positive impact on aviation and the broader economy. Therefore, if we wish to develop world-class cities, we would need world-class aviation hubs. All the major global financial centres like London have big airport hubs,” opined CEO & director at the aviation think tank, CAPA India.
Kaul also mentioned the development of an aviation hub in India would help make the cost of international travel from India significantly competitive.
Copyright©2025 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today
