 "Govt plans seamless immigration for hub airports to aid global connectivity")
The government is planning to streamline immigration procedures to allow passengers travelling abroad from Delhi or Mumbai airports to complete their immigration checks at selected origin airports. The move is part of a larger plan by the civil aviation ministry to transform India’s major airports into international aviation hubs and improve the overall passenger experience.
Immigration to be completed at origin airports
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the initiative aims to allow travellers to complete all immigration formalities at their departure airport within India, so they can transfer smoothly through Delhi or Mumbai without repeating the process.
“For example, if a person is flying from Surat to London, he or she can come to Surat, complete the immigration process there, and then take the flight from Delhi without leaving the terminal?” Naidu said. “So, these are some things that we are working on, where the passenger, even if he is coming from another point and wanting to travel outside the country, can come to the hub destination, and without doing another immigration, can travel from there.”
The minister said the plan would simplify both Domestic to International (D to I) and International to International (I to I) transfers.
Delhi and Mumbai identified for first phase
Naidu said Delhi and Mumbai airports have been identified for the first phase of the project. The two airports, among the busiest in the country, are expected to serve as models for the seamless transfer system before the framework is extended to other cities.
“The ministry is actively looking at all these things on the policy framework side,” Naidu said. “The aim is to build a comprehensive passenger transfer ecosystem over the next two to three years.”
The minister was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of the refurbished Terminal 2 (T2) at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
Creating a Global Aviation Hub
Naidu said that achieving a seamless passenger transfer system across domestic and international routes is central to making India a global aviation hub.
“On the ground, the challenge is to ensure smooth transfers across all routes — D to D (Domestic to Domestic), I to D (International to Domestic), D to I (Domestic to International), and I to I (International to International). This is the challenge,” he said.
India, one of the fastest-growing civil aviation markets, is already witnessing rapid expansion, with domestic carriers placing orders for nearly 1,500 aircraft.
The IGI Airport in Delhi, the country’s largest, currently has three terminals and four runways, handling millions of passengers annually. The ministry’s efforts, Naidu said, are aimed at ensuring that these airports match the efficiency and connectivity standards of major global hubs such as Dubai and Singapore.
Focus on passenger convenience and growth
By implementing pre-clearance immigration at origin airports and strengthening coordination between agencies, the government hopes to cut connection times and improve the travel experience for both domestic and international flyers.
Officials said that once implemented, the system would make Delhi and Mumbai more attractive as stopover points for international travellers and reduce congestion at immigration counters.
The ministry expects the integrated transfer model to be fully operational within two to three years, giving a major boost to India’s ambition of becoming a leading global aviation hub.
(With inputs from PTI)