AMRITSAR, Jul 28: The Centre plans to develop a 44-airport hub-and-spoke network, including four major hub airports and 40 spoke airports, to strengthen India’s international air connectivity and position the country as a global aviation hub.
The announcement was made by Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha on Tuesday during the launch of Air India’s Hub-and-Spoke flight model from Amritsar, the second airport after Varanasi to be integrated into the network.
At present, Delhi is the country’s only hub airport, while Varanasi and Amritsar serve as spoke airports. Ahmedabad will be the next city to join the network.
Under the hub-and-spoke model, passengers travelling from Tier-II and Tier-III cities will be able to connect seamlessly to international destinations through major hub airports, reducing travel time and improving connectivity.
Addressing the event through a video message, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu described the initiative as an important step towards achieving India’s aviation ambitions and strengthening its global connectivity.
He also said the government aims to develop 100 airports and 200 heliports over the next decade to meet the country’s growing aviation demand.
As part of the initiative, Air India has introduced its ‘Easy Connect’ service, enabling international passengers to complete baggage check-in and immigration formalities at their origin airport before travelling via Delhi to overseas destinations.
From Amritsar, the airline will operate two daily Easy Connect flights, offering seamless onward connectivity to 27 international destinations, including cities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, West Asia and Southeast Asia.
Air India said the service allows passengers to travel through Delhi without re-checking baggage or changing terminals. The airline plans to expand the Easy Connect programme to Ahmedabad, Goa, Kochi and other cities in the coming weeks.
The first Easy Connect service was launched from Varanasi on June 25.
