- Hub-and-spoke aviation model launched from Ahmedabad, putting international travel on a new, seamless track
- Immigration, check-in and baggage check-through to be completed in Ahmedabad; AI 1117 and AI 1121 connect passengers to dozens of global destinations via Delhi
- Ahmedabad becomes India’s third international spoke after Varanasi and Amritsar under ambitious aviation hub strategy
- 6 crore passengers travelled from Ahmedabad to Delhi last year for international flights; Gujarat sectors poised to gain from stronger global connectivity
- 22 more airports, including Surat, to join the Hub & Spoke network in the next phase as India targets global aviation leadership by 2047
NE AVIATION BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, SEPT 2
For Ahmedabad, the world just moved closer. A journey that once meant domestic travel to Delhi, a fresh round of immigration queues, baggage worries and the anxiety of missing an international connection is set for a dramatic makeover as the Ministry of Civil Aviation today launched Hub & Spoke International Flight Operations from Ahmedabad.
The initiative places Ahmedabad at the heart of India’s rapidly expanding International Aviation Hub Strategy, making it the third airport in the country after Varanasi and Amritsar to be integrated into the Hub & Spoke framework for international passenger movement.
The launch was attended by Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol and Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi.
Ahmedabad gets its own international gateway advantage
The Hub & Spoke initiative, launched from Varanasi on June 25, 2026, and extended to Amritsar on July 28, now reaches Ahmedabad as the Government seeks to create an integrated, seamless and passenger-centric aviation network linking India’s regions with the world through Delhi as the designated international hub.
With Ahmedabad joining the network, AI 1117 will connect passengers to 22 destinations, primarily across Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The evening service, AI 1121, departing at 20:15 hours, will extend connectivity to 17 destinations across North America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe.
The significance goes beyond the number of destinations. It is the change in the passenger journey that could make the biggest difference.
No more baggage-and-immigration maze in Delhi
Explaining the transformation, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that earlier a passenger travelling from Ahmedabad to destinations such as Paris, Toronto or Sydney had to first take a domestic flight to Delhi, manage separate bookings, collect and handle luggage, navigate immigration queues at a major airport and face the risk of missing the connecting international flight.
“Under Hub & Spoke, immigration, check-in and baggage check-through will now all be completed at Ahmedabad itself, with baggage travelling straight through to the final international destination,” he said.
Under the new framework, international passengers complete check-in, immigration and customs formalities at the originating spoke airport, which is itself an international airport. After reaching the designated hub, they can proceed directly to their onward international flight without repeating immigration or customs procedures.
Baggage, meanwhile, is transferred seamlessly to the final destination, reducing travel complexity and potentially making international journeys considerably more predictable and convenient.
Aviation takes Gujarat’s growth story global
The scale of the opportunity is underscored by the Minister’s reference to the 1.6 crore passengers who travelled from Ahmedabad to Delhi last year to board international flights.
With international connectivity now being integrated more deeply into Ahmedabad’s aviation network, the city could emerge as a powerful gateway for Gujarat’s business, tourism and investment ambitions.
Naidu said that with the seamless Hub & Spoke journey, Ahmedabad will be ready to invite a global audience from maximum destinations for the Commonwealth Games in 2030.
The expected economic benefits extend across Gujarat’s key sectors, including textiles, pharmaceuticals, diamonds and gems, and engineering.
For exporters, particularly diamond exporters, as well as handicraft artisans, investors, tourists and students, improved international connectivity could translate into easier access to global markets, business centres, educational institutions and destinations.
From Ahmedabad to the world — and India to global aviation leadership
The Hub & Spoke model forms a key pillar 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 strategy seeks to leverage India’s geographical advantage and extensive airport infrastructure, strengthen domestic aviation hubs and reduce dependence on overseas transit airports.
The Government expects the model to deliver wider benefits, including stronger international connectivity from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, improved passenger experience, better utilisation of airport infrastructure, greater operational efficiency for airlines and enhanced competitiveness of Indian aviation.
The economic projections are equally ambitious. Studies undertaken by the Ministry indicate that aviation hub development could generate approximately 0.4 million direct and indirect jobs and contribute an additional USD 30 billion to India’s GDP by 2030.
By 2047, the cumulative impact could support approximately 16 million direct and indirect jobs and contribute nearly USD 1.4 trillion to the economy.
The Ahmedabad launch is therefore not merely another aviation milestone. It represents another step in an attempt to redraw the map of international air travel from India — with more passengers beginning their global journey closer to home.
22 more airports set to join the network
The expansion will continue. The Minister said Hub & Spoke connectivity will next be extended to 22 more airports in this phase, including Surat in Gujarat.
The Ahmedabad launch thus marks the latest stage of a progressively expanding national framework designed to connect more Indian cities directly and efficiently with the global aviation network.
The event was also attended by Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Manoj Kumar Das, Chief Secretary, Government of Gujarat; Rajesh Nirwan, DG, DGCA; Puneet Kansal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; and representatives of the Bureau of Immigration, Customs and CISF.
Industry associations, hotel and hospitality stakeholders, travel partners, tourism representatives and other aviation and trade stakeholders were also present, underlining the broad industry support for strengthening Ahmedabad’s international connectivity.
