Air India on Thursday launched its first ‘Easy Connect’ flight under the Government of India’s new hub-and-spoke aviation framework, marking the beginning of a nationwide initiative aimed at enabling seamless international travel from cities across the country through the airline’s major hubs.
The inaugural Easy Connect service, flight AI1111, departed from Varanasi’s LalBahadurShastri International Airport to Delhi, allowing international passengers to connect onward to nine overseas destinations, including Dubai, Colombo, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kathmandu and Phuket. The service was inaugurated by Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, who said the initiative would make international air travel more accessible by allowing passengers to begin their overseas journeys from their home cities through Indian transit hubs.
Air India said the phased rollout will expand the Easy Connect network over the coming months to Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Patna, Vadodara and Visakhapatnam. Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said the initiative addresses the long-standing dependence of Indian travellers on foreign transit hubs, offering greater convenience and strengthening India’s aviation ecosystem.
According to Air India, nearly 25 million passengers travel on long-haul international routes to and from India every year, with around 20 million requiring connecting flights. Of these, nearly 85 per cent currently transit through overseas hubs instead of Indian airports.
The inclusion of Guwahati in Air India’s upcoming Easy Connect network is expected to significantly enhance international connectivity for travellers from Assam and the wider Northeast. The service is likely to improve access to global destinations through Air India’s hubs in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, while supporting business travel, tourism, education and medical travel. The development is also expected to strengthen Guwahati’s position as the region’s leading aviation gateway and contribute to the Northeast’s growing integration with international markets.