# India accelerates air freight to Europe. Transhipment time in Delhi reduced to just hours **Category:** Innovation | **Source:** Frachtportal Redaktion | **Published:** 2026-08-27 | **Updated:** 2026-09-11 **Tags:** Indien, Delhi, Air India, ULD, Luftfracht-Hub, Airfeight Hub, Airfreight, Logistik News, Transport News, Fracht News, Speditions News, Supply Chain News, Zoll News, Frachtportal News, Seefracht, Luftfracht, Digitalisierung, Zoll > Fewer post-clearance inspections in Delhi shorten transit times. This benefits Indian exporters and makes the airport more attractive as an air cargo hub. --- India wants to route more air freight through its own Delhi airport. Previously, some of this cargo has been routed through major hubs such as Dubai, Doha, or Singapore. A new procedure is now intended to make Delhi faster and thus more attractive. The route Chennai–Delhi–Frankfurt was tested. Eligible cargo no longer needs to be completely dismantled and inspected piece by piece during transfer in Delhi. It can remain in the same secured ULD. A ULD is, in simple terms, an air cargo container or a special aircraft pallet. According to Air India, the average connection time in Delhi has been reduced from 36 to 48 hours to 5 to 8 hours. The Indian government reports a reduction of 60 to 20 hours for the entire transport chain. This makes a connecting flight more realistic and reduces unnecessary handling. The procedure is now being expanded. In addition to Chennai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai will serve as starting points. In Europe, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, and London Heathrow are being served. This is interesting for freight forwarders, but not yet a foregone conclusion. The cargo must be correctly secured at the origin. Labeling, booking, and freight documents must also be correct. Otherwise, the time advantage quickly disappears. Delhi can thus become more competitive on individual India-Europe routes. However, it cannot yet be considered a true replacement for Dubai, Doha, or Singapore. For that, it needs more destinations, more capacity, and consistently reliable connections. --- For dispatchers, this means first of all: With suitable Air India connections, a significantly shorter transit time can be calculated. Before booking, however, it should be clarified whether the specific shipment is approved for the secured transshipment procedure. Shippers should ensure that packaging, security status, and documents are properly prepared at the origin airport. Any deviation can lead to a new inspection. Connection times must also continue to be planned realistically. A pilot with good figures is still no guarantee that every shipment will go through in 20 hours. In short: Delhi is becoming more attractive for air freight to Europe, but must first prove the promised speed in larger-scale operations. --- The pilot launched on June 20, 2026. The tested route was Chennai–Delhi–Frankfurt. Air India conducted the transport end-to-end. Suitable, secured cargo no longer needs to be inspected piece by piece at Delhi. According to Air India, the connection time in Delhi decreased from 36 to 48 hours to 5 to 8 hours. According to the government, the total transit time decreased on average from 60 to 20 hours. According to the government, 280 tonnes were transshipped by August 19. Air India reported a total of 300 tonnes for the period through August 20. According to Air India, the average daily volume increased from 2.2 to 4.5 tonnes. According to the government, the monthly volume on the expanded Air India connections is expected to increase from 1,763 to 3,183 tonnes. This is a forecast, not an already achieved result. ## Related Entities ### Countries - [Denmark](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/dk) - [Germany](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/de) - [United Kingdom](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/gb) - [India](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/in) ### Airports - [Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/indira-gandhi-international-airport-del) - [Chennai International Airport (MAA)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/chennai-international-airport-maa) - [Copenhagen Kastrup Airport (CPH)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/copenhagen-kastrup-airport-cph) - [Hyderabad Airport (HDD)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/hyderabad-airport-hdd) - [London Heathrow Airport (LHR)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/london-heathrow-airport-lhr) - [Frankfurt Airport (FRA)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/frankfurt-airport-fra) - [Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/navi-mumbai-international-airport-nmi) - [Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Airport (AMD)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/sardar-vallabh-bhai-patel-international-airport-amd) ### Glossary - [Booking](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/booking) - [Cargo](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/cargo) - [Air Freight Container](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/air-freight-container) - [Exporter](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/exporter) - [Freight](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/freight) - [Freight forwarder](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/freight-forwarder) - [Transit time](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/transit-time) - [transport chain](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/transport-chain) - [Airport](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/airport) - [Air Cargo Container](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/air-cargo-container) - [Air freight](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/air-freight) - [Airborne](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/airborne) - [Communication Hub Logistics](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/communication-hub-logistics) - [ULD Management](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/uld-management) - [ULD Utilization Dashboards](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/uld-utilization-dashboards) - [Reinspection](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/reinspection) - [ROPA](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/ropa) - [Security check](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/security-check) - [ULD Build Up Sheet](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/uld-build-up-sheet) --- *Canonical URL: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/indien-beschleunigt-luftfracht-nach-europa-umladezeit-in-delhi-sinkt-auf-wenige-stunden-20260824184135](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/indien-beschleunigt-luftfracht-nach-europa-umladezeit-in-delhi-sinkt-auf-wenige-stunden-20260824184135)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/indien-beschleunigt-luftfracht-nach-europa-umladezeit-in-delhi-sinkt-auf-wenige-stunden-20260824184135](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/indien-beschleunigt-luftfracht-nach-europa-umladezeit-in-delhi-sinkt-auf-wenige-stunden-20260824184135)*