Amritsar airport starts Delhi-linked international transit processing

Amritsar Airport has launched a hub-and-spoke transit model via Delhi, enabling international passengers to complete check-in, immigration, customs and baggage formalities at origin. The move is expected to strengthen inbound travel flows supporting Punjab’s tourism, hospitality, cargo and logistics ecosystem.

— Source publishedTue, 28 Jul, 2026, 09:04 IST·First seen Tue, 28 Jul, 2026, 09:17 IST·Source ET Small Business

What happened

Amritsar Airport launched international transit processing via Delhi, allowing passengers to complete check-in, immigration, customs and baggage formalities at

Key facts

  • 150,000 annual passengers travel from Amritsar to Delhi for international connections
  • Around 150,000 annual overseas arrivals transit from Delhi to Amritsar
  • Passengers can make international connections in Delhi within about four hours
  • Four aviation hubs and around 40 spokes planned nationwide
  • Nearly 10 million of an estimated 30 million overseas Indians are Punjabis

Why this matters

Brands should explore airline, airport, hotel and travel-platform partnerships that convert newly streamlined international transit into packaged stays, local commerce and cargo demand.

What to watch

  • Growth in international transit passenger volumes originating at Amritsar.
  • Airline announcements on additional Delhi-Amritsar frequencies, codeshares or through-ticketing.
  • Average connection times, missed-connection rates and passenger satisfaction with origin-side formalities.
  • Hotel occupancy, ADR and foreign/overseas visitor arrivals in Amritsar.
  • Cargo tonnage, perishables handling and new freight-forwarder capacity at or near the airport.
  • Changes in direct international routes from Amritsar that could complement or cannibalize Delhi-linked transit.
  • Airlines add or retime Amritsar-Delhi feeder frequencies around international bank departures.
  • Hotels, tour operators and religious-tourism platforms package seamless overseas-to-Amritsar itineraries.
  • Airport retailers, forex operators and duty-free-adjacent vendors expand diaspora-oriented assortments and multilingual services.
  • Punjab exporters and logistics providers test greater use of Amritsar-origin cargo consolidation linked to Delhi international capacity.
  • City retailers target overseas Punjabi visitors with wedding, gifting, apparel and food-led promotions during peak diaspora travel periods.