Air India has opened bookings for its first flights under the Government of India’s hub-and-spoke model, branded as ‘Easy Connect’ services. The initiative marks a significant shift in how travellers from smaller Indian cities will access international destinations, eliminating the cumbersome transit experience that has long been a deterrent for non-metro flyers seeking seamless global connectivity.
What Is the Hub-and-Spoke Model?
Under the hub-and-spoke model, smaller ‘spoke’ cities are connected to major ‘hub’ airports, from where passengers can access an airline’s broader international network. In Air India’s case, cities like Varanasi will serve as spoke airports feeding into hub airports such as Delhi, which in turn connects travellers to destinations across Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and beyond. The model has been designed and implemented by Air India in close coordination with industry stakeholders, with a clear focus on creating a coordinated, optimised, and passenger-friendly international travel structure.
Varanasi Takes Flight on 25th June
Air India’s Easy Connect service will commence operations from Varanasi on 25th June, making it the first city to benefit from the new model. The designated Easy Connect flight from Varanasi to Delhi will operate daily as flight AI1111. Within four hours of arrival at Delhi, the flight is timed to provide seamless onward connections to 17 international destinations, including London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Milan, Rome, Zurich, Manila, Singapore, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh, and Dubai, among others. Subsequent Easy Connect flights from other spoke airports will be numbered in the ‘AI11XX’ series, giving the network a distinct and recognisable identity.
The Game-Changing Passenger Experience
At the heart of the Easy Connect model is a dramatically simplified and more intuitive international travel experience, one that removes the friction points that have traditionally made connecting through a hub airport stressful and time-consuming. Through check-in to final destination: Travellers departing from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities like Varanasi can check in at their home airport all the way through to their final international destination. There is no need to collect or recheck baggage at the hub airport in Delhi, saving time and eliminating a major source of passenger anxiety during transits.
Immigration at the origin airport: In a particularly significant development, travellers will complete all international immigration formalities at their originating airport itself. This means avoiding the notoriously long queues and processing delays typically encountered at large hub airports, and arriving at Delhi already cleared for international travel.
Seamless international transit through the hub: Passengers will transit through Delhi as international travellers, making onward connections faster and more efficient. Crucially, they also benefit from a familiar and comfortable transit environment within India, sparing them the complexity and unfamiliarity that often accompany transiting through foreign hub airports in cities like Dubai or Singapore.
Why This Matters for India’s Smaller Cities
For millions of Indians living in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, international travel has traditionally meant an extra domestic leg, separate check-ins, multiple immigration queues, and the anxiety of a tight connection at a busy hub. The Easy Connect model addresses each of these pain points directly. By enabling baggage drop-through, origin-point immigration clearance, and optimised connection windows, Air India is effectively bringing the international travel experience to the doorstep of cities that have long been underserved by global aviation.
The initiative also carries significant economic implications. Improved international connectivity from smaller cities is expected to boost business travel, tourism, and diaspora travel, unlocking demand that has historically been suppressed by the inconvenience of the existing system.
A Phased National Rollout Ahead
Air India has indicated that the Varanasi launch is only the beginning. The airline has committed to a phased rollout of Easy Connect flights across multiple cities in the months ahead to operationalise seamless international connectivity from India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities at scale. The expansion will cover several additional spoke airports, progressively widening the reach of the hub-and-spoke network across the country.
Air India Anchors a National Aviation Vision
The Easy Connect initiative positions Air India firmly at the centre of India’s evolving civil aviation ambitions. By anchoring and leading the implementation of the hub-and-spoke model, in close partnership with government and industry, the airline is not merely launching a new product but helping to reshape the structural architecture of how India connects to the world. For travellers in cities like Varanasi, that world just got a great deal closer.
