India’s ambition to emerge as a major global air cargo hub will depend on its ability to develop transshipment hubs, strengthen freighter and wide-body capacity, attract anchor carriers and improve multimodal logistics connectivity, industry leaders said on Thursday.
They noted that despite air cargo playing a crucial role in manufacturing, exports, perishables, defence logistics and regional connectivity, the segment has often remained secondary in aviation policy discussions.
Vikram Kumar, Vice-President of the Air Cargo Agents Association of India, said India is moving in the right direction, backed by manufacturing growth, airport expansion and initiatives such as One District One Product (ODOP). However, he stressed that sustained cargo growth would require coordinated efforts from airlines, airports, logistics players and regulators.
“We are getting there, but it is going to be a tough task unless everybody gets together,” Kumar said.
He added that India cannot build global cargo hubs solely on domestic manufacturing and must also capture throughput cargo, similar to hubs such as Dubai, Singapore and Frankfurt, which have benefited from strong anchor airlines and extensive wide-body connectivity.
Ajay Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited (AAICLAS), said Indian carriers currently lack sufficient freighter and wide-body aircraft capacity. He noted that strong passenger demand has diverted airline focus away from dedicated cargo operations, which require policy support and tax incentives, including for passenger-to-freighter aircraft conversions.
Group Captain Rajesh K Bali, Managing Director of the Business Aircraft Operators Association, said smaller aircraft and helicopters could play a larger role in remote cargo transportation, medical evacuation and defence logistics. He said regional connectivity initiatives have gradually expanded the importance of smaller aircraft in inaccessible regions.
Keku Bomi Gazdar, Managing Director of Aviapro Logistics Services, said India can still achieve its target of handling 10 million metric tonnes of air cargo, but only if it embraces transshipment opportunities and expands focus beyond airport infrastructure.
“Relying on domestic cargo alone to make that number will be a big challenge,” Gazdar said.
He said India must capture cargo that currently bypasses the country and improve cargo movement between ports and airports. Citing road-air cargo movement from Bangladesh, Gazdar said better coordination among customs, security agencies, terminals and government departments can help create efficient multimodal logistics solutions.
Ajay Kumar further pointed out that India’s perishables cargo potential remains underdeveloped because of limited capacity, cold-chain infrastructure gaps and slower cargo processing systems.
“Cargo doesn’t complain. It just lies there,” he said, underlining why the sector often receives less policy attention compared to passenger aviation.
