Air India on Thursday launched its first ‘Easy Connect’ flight under the Government of India’s new hub-and-spoke aviation framework, marking a significant step towards improving international connectivity from cities across India. The inaugural flight, AI1111, departed from Varanasi to Delhi, enabling passengers to seamlessly connect to nine international destinations, including Dubai, Colombo, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kathmandu and Phuket.
The service was inaugurated by Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu at LalBahadurShastri International Airport. He said the hub-and-spoke model would transform air travel by allowing passengers to begin their international journeys from their home cities through Indian aviation hubs. During the event, the Minister presented a commemorative boarding pass to the first passenger of the inaugural flight. Senior officials, including Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, AAI Chairman Vipin Kumar and Air India CEO & MD Campbell Wilson, were present.
Air India said it will progressively expand the Easy Connect network to Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Patna, Vadodara and Visakhapatnam through its primary hubs in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Wilson said the initiative would reduce Indian travellers’ dependence on overseas transit hubs and offer a more convenient and seamless travel experience. The airline noted that nearly 25 million passengers undertake long-haul travel to and from India annually, with around 20 million requiring connecting flights. Nearly 85 per cent of these travellers currently transit through foreign hubs.
The inclusion of Guwahati in Air India’s upcoming Easy Connect network is expected to be a major boost for the Northeast’s aviation sector. Direct access to Air India’s international network through domestic hubs is likely to benefit business travellers, exporters, students, medical tourists and leisure passengers from Assam and neighbouring states. The move is also expected to strengthen Guwahati’s position as the region’s principal aviation gateway while supporting tourism, trade and investment by improving global accessibility for the Northeast.
