AIR INDIA LAUNCHES ‘EASY CONNECT’ FLIGHTS – BRINGING THE WORLD CLOSER TO EVERY INDIAN | News
Air India has marked a decisive milestone in the Indian aviation industry with the inauguration of its first ‘Easy Connect’ flight under the Government of India’s new hub-and-spoke framework, launching the transformative model that aims to seamlessly connect the length and breadth of India with the world, and vice versa.
The inaugural Easy Connect service, flight AI1111, took off from Varanasi at 9:23 am on Friday, with international passengers on the flight continuing from Delhi to 9 destinations outside India such as Dubai, Colombo, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kathmandu and Phuket.
Mr. Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India, inaugurated the first ‘Easy Connect’ flight from Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi. Speaking on the occasion, he said, “Today we are taking a major step forward towards realizing our vision of making air travel more accessible and building a future-proof, self-sustainable Indian aviation industry that is efficient, inclusive and globally competitive. Our new hub-and-spoke model paves the way for a monumental change in the way our citizens travel – where no matter which city one lives in in India, one can start their international journey from their home city and travel the world with ease and confidence, on India’s own wings.”
At the launch, the Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr. Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, presented the first passenger to check-in for the inaugural Easy Connect flight with a commemorative boarding pass. Also present on the occasion were Mr. Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Mr. Puneet Kansal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Mr. Vipin Kumar, Chairman, Airports Authority of India; Mr. Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Air India; Mr. P. Balaji, Group Head – Governance, Risk, Compliance & Corporate Affairs, Air India; including senior officials from government agencies and Air India.
National rollout
As the first airline to commence hub-and-spoke services, Air India is leading a phased nationwide rollout that will gradually connect more domestic ‘spoke’ cities in addition to Varanasi to the airline’s key hubs in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, unlocking seamless, end-to-end international travel for millions of Indians.
Over the coming months, Air India plans to gradually introduce ‘Easy Connect’ services from several other Indian cities, including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Patna, Vadodara and Visakhapatnam, fundamentally changing the way Indian travelers access destinations around the world.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India, said: “India is a major player in global aviation, and yet for decades a significant portion of Indian travelers flying abroad have routed their journeys through overseas transit points – often at the expense of comfort and convenience. Air India’s ‘Easy Connect’ flights are a response to that reality, and we are grateful to the Government of India for its vision and support in making this framework possible.”
Wilson added, “In today’s India, a family in Varanasi, Amritsar or Vishakhapatnam should not have to navigate unfamiliar transit environments to reach the world. They should be able to start their international journey from their home city, on their own territory, feeling confident, comfortable and proud while connecting seamlessly with global destinations.”
Nearly 25 million passengers travel on long-haul flights to and from India every year, of which almost 20 million are connecting travelers – and about 85% (about 17 million) of them currently travel through overseas hubs rather than Indian airports.
More about Easy Connect flights
Air India’s ‘Easy Connect’ services are flights from spoke airports to hub airports, aimed at providing seamless connectivity to international destinations beyond the hub airports. This means that travelers from cities that do not have direct flights to many international destinations can now start their international trip from their home city with unprecedented ease:
Via check-in to the final destination at the airport of origin
Immigration clearance at the departure point instead of the hub airport
Seamless international transit through the hub airport, without having to re-check your luggage
This allows travelers to fly through Delhi or Mumbai as international transit passengers, eliminating the need for repetitive processes and significantly reducing the travel complexity and unfamiliarity usually associated with the transit experience at a foreign hub.
Passengers traveling on Air India’s ‘Easy Connect’ flights are required to complete certain pre-departure and transit processes to ensure a seamless journey, including mandatory DigiYatra registration for Indian nationals. Indian passport holders making international connections on ‘Easy Connect’ flights are required to register for DigiYatra and ensure their boarding passes are uploaded to the app before departure. Web check-in and customs declaration are not available at spoke airports.
Bookings for Air India’s Easy Connect flights under the new hub-and-spoke model are now open across all channels, including Air India’s website, mobile app, contact center and travel agents.
Varanasi-Delhi flight AI1111 offers seamless connections to 17 international destinations within four hours of arrival in Delhi, including London, Rome, Milan, Frankfurt, Zurich, Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah, among others.
