IGI Airport Statistics 2026: Delhi Airport Passenger Traffic, Cargo and Capacity

How many passengers does IGI Airport handle?

IGI handled 7,87,01,971 passengers in FY2025-26, the year from April 2025 to March 2026. That is AAI's count for Delhi (DIAL) in its March 2026 traffic report, and it works out to roughly 2.16 lakh passengers a day on average. Of the total, 5.72 crore were domestic and 2.15 crore international.

The number fell 0.7% from 7.93 crore in FY2024-25. It was the only annual fall in the six years charted here, and it came in a year when all Indian airports together grew 1.9%. International traffic at Delhi was flat (down 0.1%) and domestic slipped 0.9%. March 2026 alone was weak across the country, with international passengers at Indian airports down 18.5% that month.

The longer run is still steep. Traffic went from 2.26 crore in FY2020-21, a Covid year, to 6.53 crore in FY2022-23 and 7.37 crore in FY2023-24 before levelling off near 7.9 crore. For anyone buying near the airport, the takeaway is simple: IGI is already a mature, very large airport, and growth from here is single digit rather than the rebound years.

Is Delhi airport traffic growing in 2026?

Yes, again. In April to August 2026, IGI handled 3.25 crore passengers, 5.5% more than the 3.08 crore in the same five months of 2025. August 2026 alone saw 60.84 lakh passengers, up 2.7%. Aviation A2Z, reporting DIAL's figures, put July 2026 at about 6 million passengers, up 3.7%.

The contrast with the rest of the country is the interesting part. All Indian airports together handled 2.4% fewer passengers in April to August 2026 than a year earlier. Delhi's share of national traffic rose to about 19.6% over those five months, from 18.7% in FY2025-26. Domestic traffic at Delhi grew 7.2% in the period while international was up 1.0%.

Is IGI the busiest airport in India?

Yes, by a wide margin. In FY2025-26 Delhi handled 7.87 crore passengers against 5.53 crore at Mumbai and 4.45 crore at Bengaluru, per AAI's airport-wise table. Hindon, the small civil terminal in Ghaziabad that also serves the capital region, handled 11.3 lakh.

Delhi also moves the most freight: 29% of all cargo handled at Indian airports in FY2025-26 passed through IGI.

Where does IGI rank among the world's busiest airports?

Airports Council International ranked IGI the world's 11th busiest airport by passenger traffic for calendar 2025, with more than 78 million passengers, according to Business Today's August 2026 report. It was the only Indian airport in the global top 20, and it placed ahead of the main airports of Paris, Seoul and Los Angeles. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta kept the top spot.

Note the period difference: ACI counts calendar years, AAI counts April to March, so the two totals will not match exactly.

What is Delhi airport's capacity, and what is being built?

Current capacity is about 106 million passengers a year: Terminal 1 at 42 million, Terminal 2 at 14 million and Terminal 3 at 50 million, according to Aviation A2Z's August 2026 report on DIAL's master plan. T3 carries roughly 19 million domestic and 31 million international passengers a year. Business Today, reporting the same plan, gives the current figure as 105 million, so treat the number as approximate.

The expansion is staged. A new Pier E at T3 is meant to take capacity to 116 million by April 2030, with 125 million targeted by 2032 in Aviation A2Z's account (Business Today says 125 million by 2029-30). After 2030, T2 is due to be demolished for a new Terminal 4, taking the total to 140 million. Airside, the previous plan delivered India's first four-runway system, the Eastern Cross Taxiway and Aerocity.

At 7.87 crore passengers a year against roughly 10.6 crore of capacity, IGI is running at about three quarters of capacity, which is why DIAL is planning now rather than in a crisis.

How much cargo moves through Delhi airport?

IGI handled 11,48,337.6 tonnes of freight in FY2025-26, up 3.5%. International cargo was 7.40 lakh tonnes, about 64% of the total, and domestic 4.09 lakh tonnes, which grew faster at 7.6%.

Cargo has been the steadier line. It crossed 10 lakh tonnes for the first time in FY2023-24 and has grown every year since. In April to August 2026 freight was up 11.5% to 5.23 lakh tonnes, well ahead of passenger growth.

Noida International Airport vs IGI: how do they compare?

Noida International Airport at Jewar began commercial flights on 15 June 2026 with a first phase built for about 12 million passengers a year, one runway and an integrated terminal, according to IANS quoting Uttar Pradesh officials. Official projections take it to 30 million by 2031, 50 million by 2036 and 70 million by 2040, with a final plan of five runways and 225 million.

For now, IGI is about nine times larger by capacity. Its traffic rose 5.5% in April to August 2026, the first months after Jewar opened, so there is no sign yet of passengers shifting. Business Today reports that DIAL will keep T2 running until at least 2030 partly to watch Noida's effect. For Gurgaon buyers, Jewar is a long drive away; IGI remains the airport that matters.

What does the airport mean for Gurgaon homes and offices?

The clearest measurable effect is Aerocity. Cushman & Wakefield's Delhi International Airport (DIAL) sub-market, which is mainly Aerocity, grew from 24.2 lakh sq ft of Grade A office stock in Q4 2025 to 46.4 lakh sq ft in Q3 2026. Vacancy is 28.7% because so much space arrived at once, yet asking rent is ₹244 per sq ft per month, second only to Connaught Place in the NCR. Another 11.4 lakh sq ft is planned or under construction.

On the residential side, Anarock's September 2026 Dwarka Expressway report lists IGI Airport at about 15 minutes from the corridor, with T1, T2, T3 and Aerocity at 20 to 25 minutes depending on the starting point. That is the main reason airline staff, frequent flyers and Aerocity employees look at Dwarka Expressway and New Gurgaon.

One caution on traffic. A DIAL study reported by Swarajya in May 2026 found airport-bound vehicles make up only 13 to 17% of peak-hour NH-48 traffic, with the rest regional through traffic, and both NH-48 and Old Delhi-Gurugram Road operating at Level of Service F, the most congested grade. Being close to the airport on a map does not guarantee a quick drive at 6 pm.