Overview
- Air India began operating the first Easy Connect flight, AI1111, from Varanasi to Delhi on Thursday, allowing travellers to connect to 17 international destinations without re-checking baggage at the hub.
- Officials said standard operating procedures for the programme are finalised and six more spoke airports will be added within six weeks as part of a phased rollout to about 11 additional cities.
- Air India published specific rules for Easy Connect: flights use a dedicated AI11XX series, apply only to outbound journeys with short connection windows, web check-in is not available at spokes, and Indian passport holders must enrol in DigiYatra.
- Practical limits at launch include no customs-declaration facilities at most spokes and a requirement that passengers collect physical boarding passes at origin, which affects travellers carrying dutiable or high-value goods.
- The government and Air India present Easy Connect as a strategy to reclaim passengers now routing through overseas hubs and to build India’s role as a transit centre by improving hub utilisation and regional airport links over the coming months.