Varanasi to London via Delhi from June 1: India's 'hub and spoke aviation model' gets SOP, Air India to begin trials

A passenger in Varanasi will soon be able to board a flight to Delhi and connect seamlessly to London, with immigration cleared at departure and baggage transferred without stepping out of the airside. That is the promise of India's Hub-and-Spoke aviation model, and Air India is expected to begin its first trials from Varanasi airport on June 1.

The civil aviation ministry has issued a Standard Operating Procedure to operationalise the model, which is designed to connect passengers from smaller spoke airports to international destinations through larger hub airports, smoothly and without the friction that currently makes such journeys cumbersome.

How it works

Under the Hub and Spoke framework, Domestic to International and International to Domestic operations will be streamlined for passengers, covering immigration, customs and baggage transfers. The SOP, dated April 27, makes the process clear: "Immigration and Customs clearance to the passengers would be carried out at the first port of departure and last port of arrival with airside baggage transfer at hub airport."

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Passengers on Hub and Spoke flights will receive two boarding passes — one marked 'I' for international and one marked 'D' for domestic — to allow easy identification and segregation of traffic at hub airports.

Web check-in and e-boarding passes will not be available for domestic-to-international passengers on these flights. DigiYatra enrolment will be compulsory for Indian nationals travelling on the international leg.

Airlines operating under the model will be required to appoint dedicated nodal officers at hub airports, with their details communicated to immigration authorities. The primary responsibility of these officers will be to prevent the intermixing of passengers and verify identities.

Air India's role and ambition

Air India confirmed on Wednesday that it is preparing to launch international connectivity from Varanasi under the model. The airline described the initiative as a fundamental shift in how India fits into the global aviation landscape, moving from being predominantly a point-to-point end destination market to functioning as a global transit ecosystem.

The airline said the model will help optimise aircraft utilisation and contribute to decongesting major airports by distributing passenger processing, including customs and immigration, across spoke locations. Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said the model will not only strengthen connectivity but also ensure optimal use of airport infrastructure developed across the country.

The bigger picture

The move is part of a broader effort to position India, one of the world's fastest-growing domestic civil aviation markets, as a genuine global aviation hub. The ministry has said the Hub and Spoke model will also enable seamless connectivity between Tier II and III airports developed under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN and international destinations, bringing smaller cities into the global flight network for the first time.

The SOP was developed after stakeholder consultations covering operational frameworks, coordination mechanisms and the responsibilities of the various agencies involved.