Air India plans to progressively roll out its ‘Easy Connect’ services from several Indian cities over the coming months, including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Patna, Vadodara and Visakhapatnam, as part of a new hub-and-spoke model aimed at simplifying international travel for Indian passengers.
As the first airline to launch services under the Government of India’s hub-and-spoke framework, Air India is leading a phased nationwide rollout that will connect domestic spoke cities to its primary hubs in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, enabling seamless onward connectivity to global destinations.
The announcement comes as Air India on Thursday inaugurated its first Easy Connect flight from Varanasi, marking the operational launch of the new model designed to strengthen India’s position as an international aviation hub.
First service takes off
The inaugural Easy Connect service, flight AI1111, departed Varanasi at 9:23 am, with international passengers connecting onward through Delhi to destinations including Dubai, Colombo, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kathmandu and Phuket.
The airline said the initiative is expected to transform the way Indian travellers access international destinations by allowing them to begin their journeys from their home cities without the complexity typically associated with overseas transit hubs.
Strengthening India’s aviation network
Air India, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Campbell Wilson said, “India is a major force in global aviation, and yet, for decades a meaningful share of Indian travellers flying abroad have routed their journeys through overseas transit points, often at the cost of comfort and convenience.
“Air India’s Easy Connect flights are a response to that reality, and we are grateful to the Government of India for its vision and support in enabling this framework.”
According to the airline, nearly 25 million passengers travel long-haul to and from India annually. Of these, around 20 million are connecting passengers, with nearly 85% transiting through overseas hubs instead of Indian airports.
Simplified international travel
Air India’s Easy Connect services are designed to provide seamless connectivity between spoke airports and hub airports for onward international travel.
Under the new model, passengers can complete through check-in to their final destination at the origin airport, clear immigration at the point of departure and transit seamlessly through the hub airport without re-checking baggage.
The airline said the arrangement enables travellers to use Delhi or Mumbai as international transit hubs while eliminating repetitive procedures and reducing the inconvenience typically associated with transit through foreign airports.
Government support
Unon Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu inaugurated the first Easy Connect flight from Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport.
He said the new hub-and-spoke framework would allow travellers from any Indian city to begin their international journeys from their home airport while strengthening the country’s aviation ecosystem.
Passenger requirements
Passengers travelling on Easy Connect flights will be required to complete specific pre-departure and transit formalities to ensure a seamless journey.
Indian passport holders connecting internationally through Easy Connect services must enrol in DigiYatra and upload their boarding passes on the app prior to departure.
Bookings for Easy Connect flights are now open through Air India’s website, mobile app, contact centre and authorised travel agents.