International passengers travelling from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, can now complete their check-in, baggage drop, immigration and customs formalities before boarding their domestic flight to Delhi, eliminating the need to repeat the process while connecting to overseas flights. The facility has been introduced under the Centre’s Hub-and-Spoke aviation model and will initially be operated by Air India.
The new ‘Easy Connect’ service links Amritsar with 27 international destinations through Delhi, including cities in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, West Asia and Southeast Asia. Passengers will be able to transfer seamlessly at Delhi Airport without collecting and rechecking their baggage, significantly reducing transit time and improving the overall travel experience.
Launching the initiative, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu described Amritsar as North India’s international gateway, while Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said the programme forms part of the government’s plan to develop a nationwide hub-and-spoke aviation network comprising four hub airports and 40 spoke airports to strengthen global air connectivity. Amritsar is the second airport to adopt the model after Varanasi, with Ahmedabad expected to be the next spoke airport.
Air India said it will also introduce the inbound Easy Connect service within the next two months, enabling passengers arriving on international flights in Delhi to complete onward transfers to Amritsar more efficiently. The airline plans to gradually expand the model to additional cities as India’s integrated international transit network evolves.
