Air India on Monday announced that it has opened bookings for its first “Easy Connect” flights under the Government of India’s hub-and-spoke aviation model, a move aimed at simplifying international travel for passengers from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. The new service will begin from Varanasi on June 25, marking the first phase of a nationwide rollout.
Under the hub-and-spoke system, passengers from smaller cities, known as “spokes,” travel through major hub airports such as Delhi before connecting to international destinations. Air India said the initiative will allow travellers to complete baggage check-in and immigration formalities at their originating airport, eliminating the need to repeat these procedures at the hub.
The airline stated that passengers departing from Varanasi will be able to check in directly to their final overseas destination and transit through Delhi as international travellers. This is expected to reduce waiting times and make connections smoother and more efficient.
The designated Easy Connect service between Varanasi and Delhi will operate daily as flight AI1111. Arriving in Delhi, passengers will have access to seamless onward connections to 17 international destinations within four hours. These include cities such as London, Frankfurt, Milan, Rome, Zurich, Manila, Singapore, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh and Dubai.
According to Air India, future Easy Connect flights from other spoke cities will be identified through the AI11XX series. The airline plans a phased expansion of the model across multiple cities in the coming months.
P Balaji, Group Head for Governance, Risk, Compliance and Corporate Affairs at Air India, said the successful implementation of the project has been made possible through close coordination between airlines, airports and government agencies. He added that the initiative would help create a more integrated and globally competitive aviation ecosystem for India.
