India’s airports handled a record 364,289 tonnes of air freight in June 2026, registering a 16% year-on-year growth from 315,272 tonnes handled during the same month last year, driven primarily by strong growth in international cargo, according to data released by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
International cargo remained the key growth driver, accounting for 231,736 tonnes, nearly 64% of the country’s total air cargo throughput during the month. International freight volumes grew 19% year-on-year, significantly outpacing domestic cargo growth and reflecting sustained momentum in India’s export-import trade.
Domestic freight handled by Indian airports reached 132,553 tonnes in June 2026, marking a 9% increase compared to 121,120 tonnes recorded in June 2025.
Delhi Maintains Leadership
Delhi Airport continued to dominate India’s air cargo sector, crossing the one lakh tonne milestone for the third consecutive month. Mumbai retained its position as the country’s second-largest air cargo gateway, while Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata completed the top five cargo-handling airports.
Bengaluru Strengthens Southern Leadership
Bengaluru further consolidated its position as South India’s leading air cargo hub, widening its lead over Chennai by more than 12,200 tonnes during June. The airport’s growth was supported by robust performance in both international and domestic cargo segments.
Commenting on the strong cargo growth, J. Krishnan, of S Natesa Iyer Logistics LLP, said the temporary easing of geopolitical tensions in West Asia, coupled with the continued diversion of merchant shipping away from the Suez Canal route, boosted demand for air cargo services.
He noted that depleted inventories, the reopening of perishable export markets in the West, and increased flight frequencies also contributed significantly to the surge in cargo volumes.
On Bengaluru’s growing dominance, Krishnan said the airport’s consistent investment in infrastructure and process improvements, with a strong focus on customer requirements, has naturally translated into sustained leadership in the region.
India Crosses One Million Tonnes in Q1 FY27
During the first quarter of FY2026-27 (April-June), Indian airports handled 1.08 million tonnes of freight, representing a 12% increase over 961,418 tonnes handled during the corresponding period of the previous financial year.
International cargo continued to outperform domestic freight during the quarter, growing 14% to 678,821 tonnes, while domestic cargo increased 9% to 397,398 tonnes.
Despite disruptions arising from the West Asia crisis earlier in the year, India’s air cargo sector maintained strong growth momentum, underlining the resilience of the country’s trade and logistics ecosystem.
CK Govil, CMD of Activair Airfreight India Pvt. Ltd., said that with cargo volumes continuing to rise, the focus should now shift towards expanding terminal capacity, improving landside connectivity, simplifying regulatory procedures and attracting more dedicated freighter operations.
He added that these measures would enable Delhi to strengthen its position as India’s leading air cargo gateway while supporting the country’s ambition of becoming a global manufacturing and logistics hub.
