At Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi’s Palam, the country’s busiest aviation hub, one out of every four passengers is a transfer flyer.Data from Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) shows the airport handled nearly 1.9 million transfer passengers in May, accounting for 27 percent of its total traffic of 7.14 million travellers.GMR Airports Limited, which operates and manages IGI Airport, mentioned that the transfer volume in April stood at 1.54 million, which was nearly 23 percent.The data showed that during the last year, the transit volume in May was 20 percent, which increased to 27 percent this year. On average, Delhi airport facilitates nearly 56,000 transfer passengers every day, highlighting its growing role as a preferred transit gateway connecting destinations across India and the world.As per GMR, the increase in transfer traffic reflects the strength of Delhi airport’s extensive route network, robust airline partnerships, integrated terminal operations and passenger-centric infrastructure, which together enable seamless connectivity for domestic and international travellers.Domestic-to-domestic (D-D) transfers continue to be the largest contributor, accounting for 61 percent of total transfer traffic, underscoring the IGI Airport’s critical role in connecting metropolitan cities with emerging economic centres, tourism destinations and regions across the country.The popular transfer routes include Pune–Delhi–Srinagar, Srinagar–Delhi–Pune and Kolkata–Delhi–Srinagar.Delhi airport is also witnessing strong growth in international transfer traffic, with key transit flows on routes such as Ahmedabad–Delhi–Toronto, Phuket-Delhi-London Heathrow, Dubai–Delhi–Patna and Kathmandu–Delhi–Tokyo.This highlights the airport’s increasing importance as a strategic gateway linking South Asia with major destinations across North America, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.The airport’s hub ecosystem is further strengthened by leading airline partners, with IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express accounting for a substantial share of transfer traffic through Delhi.Commenting on the development, Pradeep Panicker, Chief Executive Officer, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), said: “The steady growth in transfer passenger traffic is a strong endorsement of Delhi Airport’s position as India’s leading aviation hub. Today, more than one in every four passengers travelling through Delhi Airport is a transit passenger, reflecting the confidence that airlines and travellers place in our connectivity, operational efficiency and seamless travel experience.”With India emerging as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets globally, Delhi Airport is uniquely positioned to serve as a key gateway connecting domestic and international networks, he said.”Even as we navigate a turbulent aviation environment marked by the Middle East crisis and high ATF prices, DIAL continues to work closely with both domestic and international carriers to strengthen connectivity, align networks, benefit transfer passengers, and sustain its position as one of the largest transfer hubs in the region. We remain committed to enhancing passenger convenience, expanding connectivity, and building future-ready infrastructure that supports India’s aspirations of becoming a global aviation powerhouse,” Panicker mentioned.