Air India launches ‘Easy Connect’ from Amritsar, links Punjab to 27 global destinations

Air India launched its ‘Easy Connect’ services from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, enabling passengers from Punjab to access 27 international destinations through seamless connections via Delhi under the Government of India's hub-and-spoke model.

The service allows international travellers to complete through check-in and immigration formalities at Amritsar itself, eliminating the need to re-check baggage or undergo repeated procedures in Delhi. Passengers will be able to transit through Delhi as international transfer passengers without changing terminals.

The Easy Connect service were inaugurated by Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, who said expanding the hub-and-spoke model to Amritsar reflects the government’s vision of extending global air connectivity beyond metropolitan cities.

He said the initiative would strengthen India’s aviation ecosystem while enhancing Punjab’s connectivity with its large overseas diaspora and boosting tourism, trade and cultural exchanges.

Air India has designated two daily Amritsar-Delhi flights as Easy Connect services. Flight AI 1113 departs Amritsar at 9.10 am and reaches Delhi at 10.40 am, offering onward connections to destinations across Europe, Southeast Asia and West Asia. Flight AI1115 departs Amritsar at 10 pm and arrives in Delhi at 11.20 pm, connecting passengers to cities in the US, Canada, Australia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary Puneet Kansal, Airports Authority of India Chairman Vipin Kumar and Air India Group Head for Governance, Risk, Compliance and Corporate Affairs P Balaji, were present at the inauguration.

Balaji said Punjab has one of the world’s largest Indian diaspora communities and many travellers currently face lengthy transit procedures while flying abroad. The Easy Connect initiative, he said, would allow passengers to begin their international journey from Amritsar with minimal hassle while supporting the government’s objective of making India a global aviation hub.

Air India also announced that it would become the first Indian carrier to implement the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s standard operating procedure for inbound hub-and-spoke operations. This will allow seamless international-to-domestic transfers through Delhi for passengers travelling onwards to Amritsar. The inbound Easy Connect model is expected to be introduced within the next two months.

The airline said the programme is part of a phased nationwide rollout that will eventually connect more domestic cities with its hubs in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. After Amritsar and Varanasi, the service will be extended to Ahmedabad, Goa, Kochi and several other cities.

According to Air India, nearly 25 million passengers undertake long-haul travel to and from India every year, with around 85 per cent of connecting travellers currently transiting through overseas hubs. The Easy Connect initiative aims to shift a significant share of this traffic to Indian airports by providing seamless end-to-end connectivity through domestic hubs.

Indian passport holders using the Easy Connect service for international travel will be required to enrol in DigiYatra as part of the process.