Air India expands Easy Connect international connection services to Ahmedabad

Air India recently expanded its Easy Connect services to the city of Ahmedabad. The airline completed its first flights connecting domestic travelers from Ahmedabad to its international network via Delhi.

As part of the Easy Connect program, Air India operates two daily flights between Ahmedabad and Delhi dedicated for those with international connections via Delhi. Morning and evening departures are offered following the first flight on September 1. The Ahmedabad-Delhi Easy Connect flight schedule is as follows:

AI1117 ETD 0825H 1015H from September 2

AI1121 ETD 2015H 2200H from September 1

Using the two flights, customers from Ahmedabad can connect onto international flights to 26 destinations from Delhi. Easy Connect passengers from Ahmedabad can complete their check-in to their final destinations, clear the immigration process, and then proceed to their connecting flight at Delhi without re-checking baggage or changing terminals.

According to Air India, the morning flight AI1117 provides onward connectivity via Delhi to the following destinations: Shanghai, Kathmandu, Dubai, Amsterdam, Manila, Paris, Colombo, Ho Chi Minh City, Frankfurt, Vienna, London, Milan, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh, Birmingham, Copenhagen, Rome and Zurich.

The evening flight AI1121 provides connections to Singapore, Seoul, Colombo, Bangkok, Hanoi, Phuket, Dubai, Toronto, Sydney, and London.

“Ahmedabad is an important gateway for travellers from Gujarat that is home to one of the largest globally connected communities of Indians, with generations of families and entrepreneurs forging strong links with communities around the world, especially in the US, United Kingdom and Australia,” said P. Balaji, Group Head – Governance Risk, Compliance & Corporate Affairs, Air India. “The launch of ‘Easy Connect’ services from Ahmedabad is an important addition to Air India’s network and to the Government of India’s hub-and-spoke programme. By enabling through check-in, immigration clearance at the point of departure and seamless transfers through Delhi, these services simplify international travel for passengers from Gujarat. As the first airline to operationalise this vision, we are proud to support the development of India has a strong aviation hub and contribute to the continued expansion of the country’s hub-and-spoke network.”

Ahmedabad is the third city to become part of Air India’s Easy Connect program. The airline previously launched the international connection service from Amristar and Varnasi.

India's Hub-and-Spoke Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Air India’s Easy Connect services from Varnasi, Amritsar, and Ahmedabad support India’s efforts to capture international transit traffic within its own airports under the Indian government’s Hub-and-Spoke Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for domestic-to-international transfers. The current four hubs where travelers can connect onto outbound international flights from India under the program are Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

Under the new Hub-and-Spoke SOP for domestic-to-international connections, transfer traffic will be consolidated at four major hubs. Classified as an international flight, two separate boarding passes will be given and marked D for Domestic and I for International. Customs and immigration procedures will be done at the initial point of departure, and passengers will be on specific flights at international zones separated from domestic passengers.

For international-to-domestic connections, the customs and immigration procedures will be done at the arrival airport in the country. Checked bags will be transferred without the passenger being required to claim them at the initial point of arrival. Instead the bags will be claimed at the final destination in India.

The flights operated under the hub and spoke system will only have international passengers, so separate aircraft will be used for domestic and international segments.