Air India expands hub-and-spoke model to Ahmedabad

Air India adds Ahmedabad to hub-and-spoke easy connect program
Passengers clear customs at origin before domestic leg
Bags transferred at Delhi to international connecting flights
85pc of connecting passengers previously transited through foreign hubs
Phased rollout planned to connect more spoke cities

Air India has expanded its hub-and-spoke initiative for international connections, adding Ahmedabad Airport as the third airport where eligible travellers fly as international transit passengers from the start of their itinerary. The airline has moved to reform a system in which passengers from secondary cities through major Indian airports previously flew as domestic passengers and collected bags, checked in again and cleared customs at the hub airport.

Air India has already implemented the easy connect program for select flights from Amritsar and Varanasi to Delhi. Two daily flights from Ahmedabad now carry passengers who check in for service to their final international destination and clear customs before boarding the domestic leg. Passengers fly on one ticket through their entire itinerary, with bags transferred at Delhi to the connecting flight, and passengers do not switch terminals before connecting. Ahmedabad passengers connect to 26 international destinations via Delhi.

The system previously in place led to 85pc of connecting international passengers flying to and from India, approximately 17 million annually, transiting through a foreign hub rather than an Indian hub. The airline plans a phased nationwide rollout to connect more domestic spoke cities to primary hubs in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Only passengers travelling outbound on Air India connections are currently eligible, with the government indicating more airlines could be added as well as inbound passengers.