Delhi airport is planning to increase its connectivity to the Asia Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand, as part of its blueprint to become a global gateway hub, DIAL’s CEO has said.

“We are well advanced into becoming a global gateway,” Delhi International Airport Limited CEO Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said.

Delhi Airport, at present, handles 22 million passengers annually.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is connected to 70 places abroad. There are 280 long-haul flights between Delhi and Europe and North America every week.

Jaipuriar said they have already surpassed some of the better known international hubs.

“We are looking aggressively at the Asia Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand,” he said.

DIAL has held meetings with various airports authorities and airlines operators in that region.

Airports with advanced infrastructure and global reach that serve as a platform for connecting international flights are categorised as global gateway hub airports. Delhi Airport, which connects many domestic flights, falls under the regional gateway hub.