The Center has launched the hub flight model from Varanasi, a move aimed at allowing passengers from tier II and III cities to reach international destinations via major Indian airports without having to go through baggage and immigration procedures while in transit.
Air India operated the first Easy Connect flight from Varanasi to Delhi under this model.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the initiative, launched with Air India as the first participating airline, will change the way passengers from small towns connect with the rest of the world and help integrate more airports into the country’s international aviation network.
Under the new system, passengers flying from cities such as Varanasi can complete check-in and immigration procedures at their original airport, with their baggage placed at their final international destination. At major airports, such as Delhi and Mumbai, passengers can proceed directly to their international flight as transit passengers instead of collecting luggage and going through immigration procedures again.
“Earlier, if a passenger from Varanasi wanted to travel abroad, he or she had to first fly to a major airport like Delhi, collect luggage, move between terminals and complete immigration and customs formalities before boarding the international flight. This initiative removes those extra steps,” Naidu said.
The minister said that six more airports will be included in the hub-and-spoke model during the next six weeks.
“We will give the same power to all those airports,” he said. “It will not remain a small city once the airport is connected to the world. Rather, it will have the ability to grow quickly.”
Naidu said the government’s aim is to ensure that the benefits of aviation growth extend beyond urban centers such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Bengaluru.
India currently has 36 international airports, but the majority of direct international connectivity is still concentrated in a few major hubs. According to the minister, the increasing demand of passengers from small towns has created the need for a seamless connectivity framework.
Civil Aviation Minister Sameer Kumar Sinha said the launch was the first practical application of the hub and beam model in India.
“Today, in the holy city of Kashi, we are not just launching a new initiative, we are inaugurating a new era in India’s civil aviation sector. This is a historic occasion because, for the first time in India, the hub-and-spoke model is being implemented practically,” Sinha said.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the Easy Connect AI1111 flight from Varanasi will provide flights to 17 international destinations, including London, Frankfurt, Singapore, Dubai and Riyadh.
The airline plans to gradually introduce Easy Connect services from several other cities, including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Patna, Vadodara and Visakhapatnam.
The hub-and-spoke system will help route a larger share of India’s international traffic through domestic hubs while expanding access to global destinations for passengers from small cities, Wilson said.
“We will build a truly national network that brings global connectivity closer to millions of other Indians. This is more than just a new product, it is a transformation in how India experiences connectivity. Where you live in India will not determine how easy it is to travel globally. We at Air India are proud to lead this transformation with the government and remain committed to working closely with all stakeholders to scale this initiative across the country. We look forward to welcoming many more passengers on board Easy Connect flights and thank you very much for your support,” Wilson said.
Naidu also announced that IndiGo too will soon come on board to support this government initiative.
Apart from this, Naidu also spoke about the fuel surcharge imposed by airlines due to higher ATF prices.
“We have provided (airlines) $Rs 10,000 crore from the Price Stabilization Fund as well. So you can see how important it is for the Government of India to address this problem. The second thing is, we are now seeing prices falling, but we still have to monitor them for a while because we have to see whether they will fall for a longer period or if it is a sudden moment that we are witnessing.
“So we are constantly discussing with the airlines, because the last four months have been very critical for them as well in terms of operations, because of the price instability that has happened,” Naidu said. “We would just like to see more about how clear or how stability is happening in this sector.”
“Once we see that this is around for a longer period, obviously we will talk to them and in terms of the additional fees or additional prices that we are seeing at the moment, we will certainly work to reduce those as well,” he added.
