Air India launches Easy Connect flights under Centre's new hub-and-spoke model

Air India on Thursday launched its first Easy Connect flight under the Centres new hubandspoke aviation model marking the beginning of a phased initiative aimed at improving international connectivity from smaller Indian cities through major domestic hubsThe inaugural service Flight AI1111 departed from Varanasis Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at 923 am carrying passengers who will connect through Delhi to international destinations including Dubai Colombo Jeddah Riyadh Kathmandu and PhuketFirst Easy Connect flight takes off from VaranasiThe first Easy Connect flight was inaugurated by Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu at Varanasi airport The service is the first to operate under the governments new hubandspoke framework which seeks to enable passengers from nonmetro cities to begin international journeys from their home airports through seamless domestic connectionsSpeaking at the launch Naidu said Today we take a major step forward towards realising our vision of making air travel more accessible and building a futureready selfreliant Indian aviation industry that is efficient inclusive and globally competitive Our new hubandspoke model paves the way for a monumental shift in how our citizens travel where regardless of the city one lives in India one can begin their international journey from their home city and travel across the globe with ease and confidence on Indiarsquos own wingsThe minister also presented the first passenger on the inaugural flight with a commemorative boarding passThe launch event was attended by Samir Kumar Sinha Secretary Ministry of Civil Aviation Puneet Kansal Additional Secretary Ministry of Civil Aviation Vipin Kumar Chairman of the Airports Authority of India Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson P Balaji Group Head for Governance Risk Compliance and Corporate Affairs at Air India along with other senior government and airline officialsNationwide rollout planned across 12 citiesAir India said the Easy Connect model will be expanded in phases with services to be introduced from 11 additional cities over the coming months These include Ahmedabad Amritsar Chennai Goa Guwahati Hyderabad Kochi Mumbai Patna Vadodara and VisakhapatnamThe airline said the initiative will connect more domestic spoke cities with its primary hubs in Delhi Mumbai and Bengaluru allowing passengers to access international flights through a single integrated journeyAccording to Air India nearly 25 million passengers travel on longhaul international routes to and from India every year Of these around 20 million are connecting passengers with nearly 85 per cent currently transiting through overseas hubs instead of Indian airportsAirline aims to simplify international travelCampbell Wilson said the initiative is designed to reduce dependence on foreign transit hubs and make international travel more convenient for Indian passengersHe 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 Indiarsquos lsquoEasy Connectrsquo flights is a response to that reality and we are grateful to the Government of India for its vision and support in enabling this frameworkWilson added In todayrsquos India a family in Varanasi Amritsar or Vishakhapatnam should not have to navigate unfamiliar transit environments to reach the world They should be able to begin their international journey from their home city on their own soil feeling confident comfortable and proud as they connect seamlessly to global destinationsHow the Easy Connect service worksUnder the Easy Connect model passengers travelling from designated spoke cities will receive through checkin to their final international destination at their departure airport Immigration formalities will also be completed at the origin airport allowing travellers to transit through hub airports such as Delhi or Mumbai without collecting and rechecking baggageThe system is intended to simplify international transfers by reducing multiple airport procedures that passengers typically face during connecting journeysAir India said Indian passport holders using the service for international connections must enrol in DigiYatra and upload their boarding passes on the application before departure Web checkin and customs declaration facilities will not be available at spoke airports under the current processBookings for Easy Connect flights are now open through Air Indias website mobile application contact centre and authorised travel agentsThe inaugural AI1111 service from Varanasi to Delhi offers onward connections to 17 international destinations within four hours of arriving in Delhi including London Rome Milan Frankfurt Zurich Dubai Riyadh and Jeddah