India moves to challenge Gulf aviation hubs with new transit model

India is accelerating plans to turn Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru into global transit hubs, as disruptions caused by the Iran war expose the risks of relying on Gulf airports such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha for international connectivity, The Economic Times reports.

The strategy: The government of India has rolled out an integrated framework centered around a hub-and-spoke model that would allow passengers from smaller Indian cities to connect seamlessly to long-haul international flights through major domestic airports.

Immigration overhaul: As part of the initiative, the government has eased immigration and baggage-transfer protocols at domestic airports, allowing passengers to transfer directly to international flights without re-checking in.

Why it matters: Currently, around 85% of India’s international connecting traffic passes through global aviation hubs, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Frankfurt, and London. To reclaim this lucrative market, Air India is set to launch a pilot program next week. The initiative will allow regional travelers to clear international customs at their initial point of departure, bypass repeat security screenings, and take advantage of a newly designed 20-minute airside transfer system at the New Delhi international airport.

What’s next: If successful, the strategy would be expanded to other smaller cities and airlines in a bid to retain a larger share of international passenger traffic and bolster the revenues of the aviation sector.