<h3 data-path-to-node="3"><b data-path-to-node="3" data-index-in-node="0">NEW DELHI / BENGALURU — International Trade Momentum and Maritime Reroutings Propel National Freight Volumes to All-Time Highs</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="4">Air cargo traffic across Indian airports surged to an all-time monthly record, moving 3,64,289 tonnes of freight according to official figures released by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The milestone represents a 16% year-on-year increase compared to the 3,15,272 tonnes recorded during the same period last year, reflecting an accelerating Export-Import (EXIM) boom and sustained demand for time-sensitive global air bridges.</p><h3 data-path-to-node="6"><b data-path-to-node="6" data-index-in-node="0">International Freight Drives Macro Expansion</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="7">Cross-border shipments served as the primary engine for the volume surge:</p><ul data-path-to-node="8"><li><p data-path-to-node="8,0,0"><b data-path-to-node="8,0,0" data-index-in-node="0">International Cargo:</b> Accounted for nearly 64% of total air cargo traffic, reaching 2,31,736 tonnes—a 19% year-on-year expansion. The surge was heavily propelled by electronics manufacturing exports, high-value pharmaceuticals, cross-border e-commerce, and tactical ocean-to-air freight conversions as maritime shippers seek to bypass prolonged ocean transit detours around Africa.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="8,1,0"><b data-path-to-node="8,1,0" data-index-in-node="0">Domestic Cargo:</b> Posted steady growth, expanding 9% year-on-year to reach 1,32,553 tonnes compared to 1,21,120 tonnes in the previous year's baseline, supported by intra-state express logistics and regional distribution grids.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="8,2,0"><b data-path-to-node="8,2,0" data-index-in-node="0">Quarterly Milestone:</b> Total air cargo throughput for the first quarter of FY27 (April–June) crossed 1.08 million tonnes, representing a 12% expansion over the 9.61 lakh tonnes handled during Q1 FY26.</p></li></ul><h3 data-path-to-node="10"><b data-path-to-node="10" data-index-in-node="0">Hub Performance &amp; Zonal Leadership</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="11">Performance across primary aviation gateways reinforced key regional hubs:</p><ul data-path-to-node="12"><li><p data-path-to-node="12,0,0"><b data-path-to-node="12,0,0" data-index-in-node="0">Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi):</b> Maintained its position as India’s leading air cargo gateway, surpassing the 1,00,000-tonne threshold for the third consecutive month.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="12,1,0"><b data-path-to-node="12,1,0" data-index-in-node="0">Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Mumbai):</b> Held firmly to second position nationwide, buoyed by high-value pharmaceutical and engineering shipments.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="12,2,0"><b data-path-to-node="12,2,0" data-index-in-node="0">Kempegowda International Airport (Bengaluru):</b> Extended its lead as South India's dominant air freight hub over Chennai by over 12,200 tonnes per month, driven by rapid tech hardware export dispatches and automated terminal processing workflows.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="12,3,0"><b data-path-to-node="12,3,0" data-index-in-node="0">Chennai &amp; Kolkata:</b> Completed the top five national cargo airport rankings, recording steady throughput across industrial and perishable freight channels.</p></li></ul><h3 data-path-to-node="14"><b data-path-to-node="14" data-index-in-node="0">Expert Analysis and Strategic Industry Outlook</b></h3><p data-path-to-node="15">Logistics analysts and freight forwarding representatives attribute the sustained air cargo surge to a combination of macro factors, including inventory replenishment cycles in Western consumer markets, increased freighter flight frequencies, and ongoing maritime detour delays.</p><p data-path-to-node="16">Industry leaders noted that with air cargo transitioning from an emergency fallback option to an embedded pillar of global supply chain strategy, expanding cold-chain infrastructure, digitizing customs clearance gates, and attracting dedicated freighter fleets will be vital to sustaining India's trajectory as a global logistics hub.</p>