Commissioner Tzitzikostas in New Delhi to launch the EU-India High-Level Aviation Dialogue
New Delhi, Oct 6, 2026. Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, has travelled to New Delhi to advance EU-India cooperation on transport and tourism. Building on the January 2026 EU-India Summit, the Commissioner will take forward the shared agenda by holding the first High-Level Aviation Dialogue with India.
India is a strategic partner for the EU and has one of the world’s fastest growing air transport markets. The Joint Comprehensive Strategic Agenda, endorsed at the EU-India Summit, called for the establishment of a regular Aviation Dialogue to deepen market cooperation, expand direct connectivity, and strengthen the sector’s sustainability. Geopolitical developments, such as the Middle East crisis, have disrupted global traffic flows and further highlighted the value of direct connectivity between the EU and India, as well as the importance of the clean transition in the transport sector.
Today, Commissioner Tzitzikostas and Mr. Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Minister of Civil Aviation of India, are turning political commitments into concrete action by establishing the EU-India High-Level Aviation Dialogue. As part of the broader EU-India strategic partnership, the Dialogue supports shared objectives on connectivity, safety and sustainability in the aviation sector. It complements existing EU-India cooperation, including on sustainable aviation fuels and the aviation safety partnership between the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Commissioner Tzitzikostas’ visit to India will also include meetings on rail, maritime transport and tourism. He will meet, among others, Mr. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Tourism, to discuss shared interests and the EU’s upcoming Sustainable Tourism Strategy, as well as Mr. Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, to engage on EU-India maritime cooperation, green shipping corridors and sustainable maritime fuels.
