Delhi airport now connected with 150 domestic, international destinations

Delhi's IGI Airport is now India's first airport connected to 150 destinations, including 80 domestic and 70 international, boosting global travel.

The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi has earned the distinction of being the first and only airport in India that is connected to 150 airports — 80 domestic and 70 international — the airport’s operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said on Monday.

An Airbus SE A320 aircraft, operated by IndiGo, prepares to land at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. (Bloomberg)

The latest airport added to IGI airport’s long list of connections is Don Mueang (DMK) airport in Bangkok, Thailand, following the launch on Sunday of a Thai AirAsia X direct flight from Delhi.

“On Sunday, Thai AirAsia X launched direct flights between Delhi and Bangkok-Don Mueang (DMK), marking the 150th destination connected to IGI Airport. The route will operate with Airbus A330 aircraft at a twice-weekly frequency, increasing to four times per week by mid-January 2025,” said a DIAL spokesperson.

To be sure, Delhi was already connected to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport before the city’s second airport — Don Mueang — was added through a direct flight.

DIAL said that IGI Airport has connected with 20 exclusive international destinations in recent years such as Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Denpasar (Bali, Indonesia), Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver (Canada), Washington and Chicago (USA), and Tokyo, among others.

“Of all the long-haul destinations from India, 88% of destinations are connected from Delhi and 56% of all long-haul weekly flights departing from India operate from Delhi. At least 42% of long-haul passengers from India choose Delhi airport as their gateway,” the DIAL spokesperson said, adding that the airport has also experienced a 100% increase in transfer passengers in the last decade.

According to the Airports Authority of India, the Delhi airport handled 73.6 million passengers in 2023-24, making it the country’s busiest airport. This was followed by Mumbai, which handled 52.8 million passengers in 2023-24. However, comparative data on the number of direct domestic and international flights connecting Mumbai was unavailable.

The Delhi airport was ranked 24th across the world in this year’s best connected international airport rankings released by the travel data provider Official Airline Guide (OAG). It ranked London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) with 227 destinations as the best connected airport in the world, followed by Kuala Lumpur (KUL). Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport was ranked 44th worldwide connecting 127 destinations.

DIAL chief executive officer Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said that Indian carriers are helping transform IGI Airport into a major connection hub, with the airport enhancing global connectivity and providing world-class travel experiences.

“We are proud to lead India into a new era of aviation and remain dedicated to being a hub of choice for travellers worldwide,” he said.