- Indian air cargo in 2026 is being shaped by a structural shift in trade patterns, with exporters diversifying routes—especially toward China—to manage tariff risk, supply-chain disruption, and volatile global demand.
- Air freight has moved from a premium choice to a strategic necessity, particularly for electronics, pharmaceuticals, and high-value goods, as speed and reliability outweigh cost and expose infrastructure and efficiency constraints at major hubs.
- The year ahead is expected to be one of steady, disciplined consolidation, where success depends on reliability, digitalisation, sustainability, and smarter capacity use rather than rapid volume growth.
If 2025 was the year Indian air cargo caught itself off guard, 2026 is shaping up to be the year it finds its balance.
The surprise of last year was not simply how much cargo moved, but how suddenly and persistently it did so. A volatile mix of supply-chain disruption, diversions away from congested sea routes, geopolitical unease and an unexpectedly resilient manufacturing base kept aircraft holds full for much of the year. E-commerce surged, pharmaceuticals and electronics remained dependable, and both bellyhold and freighter operators found themselves serving trade lanes that barely existed on network plans just a few years ago.
Yet as the industry looks ahead, it is increasingly clear that the true imprint of 2025 lies not in volume alone, but in the way India’s air cargo ecosystem has begun to structurally realign itself.
One of the most consequential shifts of the year was the sharp reorientation of Indian exports towards China. Commerce Ministry data shows that between April and November 2025, exports to China rose by about 33% to roughly US$12.22 billion—the highest level in several years.
On the ground, and in the air, this translated into China absorbing nearly 40% of certain Indian export categories during the period.
For an ecosystem long centred on the United States and Europe, the change was striking.
Electronics sub-assemblies, precision components, engineering goods and select perishables increasingly moved eastward, often under tight delivery windows that made air freight the preferred—sometimes the only—option.
Importantly, this pivot did not displace US-bound trade. Instead, exporters spread their risk, diversifying lanes to stay competitive amid tariff pressures and uneven Western demand. In the process, air cargo became both the natural beneficiary of this shift and a stress test for India’s aviation infrastructure.
If passenger aviation dominated headlines in 2025, air cargo told the deeper story. Trade tensions resurfaced, tariff anxieties returned, and “China-plus-one” strategies moved from boardroom presentations to factory floors. Shipping disruptions pushed time-sensitive goods into the air. The growth that followed was not fuelled by optimism, but by necessity.
Stable and reliable was the response of Indian airports. Airports handled a total of 3. 7 million tonnes of cargo in FY2025, which is 10% more than the previous year, according to the data of the Airports Authority of India. International cargo rose by 14% to 2. 32 million tonnes, while domestic volumes went up by 6% to 1. 39 million tonnes. Air cargo had, by the end of the year, clearly become one of the strategic tools for exporters dealing with the risk of tariffs, especially in the electronics sector.
Delhi held the central role in the whole system. The airport surpassed the one million tonne figure in FY2025, showing a growth of 11% year on year. While international cargo was 729,784 tonnes, domestic volumes rose to 379,735 tonnes, a record in the country.
Pharmaceuticals and perishables remained the dominant contributors to the flow of goods, however, electronics and high, value engineering products were increasingly taking the space in the belly of the aircraft as exporters found ways to avoid tariff risks and had to deliver within very short timelines.
But the good performance came at a cost. Peak-hour congestion revealed the limitations of the infrastructure; thus, even as Delhi was making progress with the construction of new facilities for the Master Plan 2026, there was a stronger need for focusing on efficiency. This is a national condition being reflected here: the growth of demand outpaces the increase in physical capacity.
Mumbai’s story was quite different. It was not the volume of goods but rather their value that pushed the growth there. The international cargo went up by 11% to 654,756 tonnes, while domestic volumes stayed unchanged at 235,143 tonnes.
In terms of the mix, it was defined by electronics components, pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, express freight and dangerous goods.
For exporters who were tangled in the problems of different tariffs, especially those exporting electronics and precision products, Mumbai was still the most convenient location due to the connectivity, the financial ecosystem, and the speed of clearance. Where digitalisation could not provide the solution, the pressure was absorbed.
Platforms like AMAX, the D, Cube digital import delivery system and real-time tracking through the Turant app have dramatically reduced the dwell times. International e-commerce shipments increased by 53% year-on-year, thus strengthening Mumbai’s position as the airport destination for speed and reliability.
Bengaluru’s growth was more gradual but equally strategic. The airport handled 520, 985 tonnes of cargo in 2025, which is a 5% increase, and it hit a new record for a single-day tonnage throughput at 2,207 tonnes on August 7, 2025. International cargo went up by 21% to 321, 283 tonnes, which was largely due to pharmaceuticals, electronics, auto components, and e-commerce.
The airport’s connectivity had risen to 37 destinations that 15 cargo airlines served, thus providing a direct link of Bengaluru to such markets as Chicago, Frankfurt, London Heathrow and Leipzig. In addition, imports came from Shenzhen, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The Menzies-built domestic cargo terminal became India’s largest greenfield facility, while the AISATS BLR Logistics Park added 370,000 sq ft of Grade-A warehousing.
“2025 was demanding,” said Girish Nair, COO of BIAL, noting that a “disciplined and resilient response” allowed the airport to scale responsibly. The principle of aligning capacity with demand—not racing ahead of it—is increasingly viewed as a benchmark.
Chennai stood out for the speed of its ascent. The airport recorded the highest international cargo growth among major Indian hubs, with volumes up 19% in the June 2025 quarter, briefly overtaking Bengaluru.
The driver was unmistakable: electronics. Rising exports of iPhones and increased imports of electronic components pushed volumes higher as exporters moved quickly to hedge against potential tariff shifts. “Only electronics inbound and outbound is on the increase,” said Dinesh Krishnan, Managing Director of United Shipping Services, pointing to tariff concerns as a key accelerator.
Another local Chennai forwarder, J. Krishnan, S. Natesa Iyer Logistics, mentioned that Foxconn’s assembly works and the city’s skilled blue collar workforce have always been major strengths. In the case of electronics exporters, air cargo in 2025 was not a tool of luxury, it was strategic insurance.
Throughout the airports, the year has vividly brought out the common situation to everybody: the rise of air cargo is less about booming trade and more about people’s risk aversion. Due to trade war fears, electronics exports, and supply chain diversification, shippers are willing to go to the sky even though it means higher costs. Each of the metro cities tried to resolve their problems in their unique ways, Delhi through scale, Mumbai through value density, Bengaluru through disciplined infrastructure, Chennai through electronics, led exports, and Kolkata through domestic reach. The system was under strain, but it adapted.
Entering 2026, India air cargo is no longer a standby mode. It has become a strategic tool that is determining tariff hedging, manufacturing decisions, and the overall trade strategy. The point now is whether capacity, policy, and digital frameworks can keep up with speed as the defining feature of trade instead of cost.
Global freight forwarders are already adjusting. Kuehne+Nagel observed that 2025 demand was driven by “consistency rather than volume spikes”, with customers prioritising reliability, transit-time certainty and compliance. Integrators such as DHL and FedEx have continued expanding Indian capacity in life sciences, express e-commerce and cold-chain logistics, signalling that India is emerging as a demand centre rather than merely a spoke.
“Despite the headwinds experienced in the second half of 2025, 2026 is expected to be a year of steady recalibration and cautious optimism,” said Keku Bomi Gazdar, MD & CEO of Aviapro Logistics Services. Sameer Shah, President of the Air Cargo Agents Association of India, reinforced the sentiment, noting that in 2026 “professionalism—speed, compliance, and pricing discipline—will matter more than tonnage.”
Both leaders point to a value-driven phase ahead: smarter capacity deployment, deeper digitalisation, stronger customs interfaces and sustained investment in people. Sustainability, once peripheral, is moving centre stage, with fuel efficiency, emissions tracking and the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel becoming unavoidable.
Global forecasts suggest air cargo growth will ease to low single digits in 2026 as base effects fade. Yet India remains structurally well positioned, anchored by e-commerce, manufacturing exports and the continuing China-plus-one realignment.
As Shah bluntly put it, “We are not in a buy-sell industry.” The message is clear. India’s next air cargo chapter will not be defined by fireworks, but by discipline, depth and durability. If 2025 was about opportunity and recalibration, 2026 may prove quieter—and far more meaningful.
Air cargo stakeholders have pointed out policy priorities ahead of the Union Budget. The sector’s immediate agenda is clear times, particularly for perishables and high value exports.
- Infrastructure funding: Increased investment in cargo terminals, cold-chain networks, and dedicated freighter parks at key hubs such as Delhi, Bengaluru, and the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport.
- SAF incentives: Targeted tax credits or fiscal relief to accelerate sustainable aviation fuel adoption without adding pressure to freight costs.
- Skill development: Intensive training programs, digital upskilling, and logistics certifications aimed at closing talent and competency gaps across the cargo value chain.
Also Read: Mumbai’s Air Cargo Pause: What’s at Stake
