Direct long-haul flights, policy push key to Indian airports' hub ambition: CEOs

Indian airports' push to become global hubs will depend on reducing passenger leakage to rival airports abroad, scaling up direct long-haul connectivity, and offering transfer experiences that are faster, smoother, and more attractive than those of regional competitors, said panellists at the Business Standard Infrastructure Summit on Thursday.

- BS REPORTER

For India, the ambition to establish airports as global hubs — on the lines of Dubai or Singapore — is no longer a distant aspiration but an urgent necessity.

Delhi International Airport Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Videh Kumar Jaipuriar highlighted how India's inherent strengths are already yielding results. "In 2019, possibly only 17-18 per cent of people travelling to Europe or North America were taking direct flights from India. That number has now improved quite dramatically. Now, close to 40-45 per cent of passengers are going directly to Europe from Delhi airport," he said in a panel discussion with Deepak Patel of Business Standard.

For Delhi airport, Jaipuriar said, the first priority has been to win over Indian travellers who might otherwise connect through Gulf or Southeast Asian hubs. "Our initial aim is to become the airport of choice for the Indian traveller. We have seen leakage to nearby hubs, which feed on Indian passengers more than on any other market," he said.