Air India launched its “Easy Connect” service from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, under the Centre’s hub-and-spoke model, enabling passengers from Punjab to access 27 international destinations thorough seamless connections via Delhi.The new 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 at the Delhi airport. Passengers can transit through Delhi as international transfer passengers without changing terminals, making overseas travel more convenient.The Easy Connect services were inaugurated by Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, who said the expansion of 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 links 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 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.The morning Easy Connect service from Amritsar (Flight AI1113) is timed to facilitate convenient onward connections to key European destinations, including London Heathrow, Birmingham, Paris, Milan, Copenhagen, Vienna, Amsterdam, Zurich, Frankfurt, and Rome, as well as select destinations in Southeast Asia and West Asia.The late evening service (Flight AI1115) offers smooth connectivity to destinations in the US, Canada, Australia, such as New York (JFK), Newark (New Jersey), San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver, Melbourne, Sydney, and select destinations in Southeast Asia and West Asia such as Singapore, Phuket, Bali, and Dubai, among others.Senior officials, including 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.P Balaji said Punjab had one of the world’s largest Indian diaspora communities and many travellers currently face lengthy transit procedures while travelling abroad. The Easy Connect initiative would allow passengers to begin their international journey from Amritsar, with minimal hassle.According to the airline, 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. Passengers using the Easy Connect service will be required to complete DigiYatra enrolment if they are Indian passport holders travelling internationally.