Air India Launches Varanasi Hub-and-Spoke Easy Connect Flight
Why in the news
Air India began its first hub-and-spoke service from Varanasi on 25 June 2026, so that passengers from the city can reach foreign destinations through Delhi without repeating immigration or baggage steps.
Key facts
- Flight: AI1111, Varanasi to Delhi, inaugurated by Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu.
- Reach: 17 international cities from the Delhi hub; examples include London, Rome, Milan, Frankfurt, Zurich, Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah.
- Process: check-in through to the final destination at Varanasi, with immigration cleared there and no re-checking of bags at the hub.
- Condition: Indian nationals must be enrolled in DigiYatra.
About Easy Connect
Easy Connect is Air India’s hub-and-spoke initiative. Domestic spoke cities feed into hubs in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. More spoke cities are planned, including Amritsar, Vadodara, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Visakhapatnam; one report says six more cities would be added within six weeks, while Air India lists 11 expansion cities.
Exam angle
- Remember the first spoke city: Varanasi, flight AI1111.
- Key feature: immigration at the home airport, not at the hub.
- Minister of Civil Aviation: K. Ram Mohan Naidu.