The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday launched Hub & Spoke International Flight Operations from Ahmedabad, making the Gujarat capital the latest city to be connected to the Hub & Spoke framework for international passenger movement.
The first two cities where this framework was launched were Varanasi (on 25 June 2026) and Amritsar (on 26 July 2026).
"Today, with the addition of Ahmedabad, we are taking another significant step towards creating an integrated, seamless and passenger-centric aviation network that connects India's regions directly with the world through our own hub airport at Delhi," the ministry said in a press release.
The ministry also said that AI 1117, a daily morning Air India flight from Ahmedabad to Delhi, will connect passengers to 22 destinations worldwide, primarily in Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
In the evening, AI 1121 will extend the connectivity to 17 destinations across North America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, who was present at the event, said that the new facility represents a significant intervention in international travel.
"For the first time, we have done it from this sector itself, and there is a lot of potential from Ahmedabad also--people flying to different parts of the world. Now, seamlessly, they are telling in their own words that earlier they had to come outside the domestic terminal, get out their bags and then recheck in, re-immigration and everything, which is a big hassle... So definitely, this is a great intervention that we have brought into international travel, and a lot of satisfaction just to get feedback from passengers. So our aim right now is, it is a successful model now--to open it up for as many airports as possible. So we have 22 more airports to do, so we will start doing it now," ANI quoted Naidu as saying.
What is the Hub-and-Spoke model?
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Hub-and-Spoke model is a key component of the government's International Aviation Hub Strategy, which aims to position India as the preferred aviation hub for Indian travellers by 2030 and a leading global aviation hub by 2047. The initiative aims to leverage India's strategic geographical location and extensive airport infrastructure to strengthen connectivity through Indian hubs and reduce dependence on overseas transit airports.
Naidu noted that until now, a passenger travelling from Ahmedabad to destinations such as Paris, Toronto or Sydney had to take a domestic flight to Delhi, manage separate bookings, handle luggage on arrival, navigate immigration queues at a large airport, and risk missing a connecting flight. Under Hub & Spoke, immigration, check-in and baggage check-through will now be completed at Ahmedabad airport itself, with baggage travelling straight through to the final international destination.
