Varanasi: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu launched India’s first Easy Connect flight from Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi. The service operates under the Hub-and-Spoke model to simplify international travel from Tier-II and Tier-III cities.
The minister said the initiative supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India a global aviation hub. He added that the model will improve international connectivity while boosting trade, tourism, investment and regional development.
Passengers travelling on the Easy Connect flight complete check-in, immigration and customs formalities at Varanasi before boarding. They then travel to a designated hub airport, such as Delhi, for their onward international journey without repeating departure procedures.
Hub-and-spoke model improves international travel
The ministry said both flight segments operate as international services to maintain security standards. Authorities issue separate boarding passes for domestic and international passengers to prevent passenger intermixing. Furthermore, international travellers do not access customs declaration facilities at the hub airport.
During the launch, Ram Mohan Naidu presented commemorative boarding passes to the first passengers. Senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India, DGCA and Air India attended the event.
The minister said the government plans to introduce similar Hub-and-Spoke international operations from more Tier-II and Tier-III airports. Moreover, the ministry expects the strategy to create around 0.4 million direct and indirect jobs and add nearly USD 30 billion to India’s GDP by 2030.
The ministry said the programme will strengthen India’s aviation ecosystem. It also aims to make international travel easier, faster and more accessible for passengers across the country.
