NEW DELHI: Inaugurating the `Hub and Spoke’ international flight operations at Ahmedabad on Tuesday, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Manohar Naidu said the seamless journey offered will make Ahmedabad ready for a global audience for the Commonwealth Games in 2030. The Hub and Spoke model enables passenger as well as baggage check-ins for international destinations at the originating airport itself thereby doing away with the need to carry out these activities at any other major airport en route.
Varanasi and Amritsar are the two other airports in the country which have the Hub and Spoke model in place presently for international passenger movement.
Elaborating on the potential it holds, Naidu said that nearly 1.6 crore passengers last year travelled from Ahmedabad to Delhi to board international flights. “With the seamless journey of Hub & Spoke, Ahmedabad will be ready to invite a global audience from maximum destinations for the Commonwealth Games in 2030.”
Passengers from Ahmedabad will benefit hugely, Naidu said, “Until now, a passenger travelling from Ahmedabad to destinations like 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 all be completed at Ahmedabad itself, with baggage travelling straight through to the final international destination.”
The benefit of greater footfalls would flow to Ahmedabad's textile, pharmaceutical, diamond and gems, and engineering sectors, he added.
The Hub & Spoke connectivity will be extended to 22 more airports in this phase, including Surat, the Minister said.
An official release from the Ministry said, “Hub-and-Spoke operations from Ahmedabad will further strengthen global connectivity, with flight AI 1117 connecting passengers to 22 destinations, primarily across Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, while 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 Hub-and-Spoke model is a key component of the Government's International Aviation Hub Strategy, aimed at positioning India as the preferred aviation hub for Indian travellers by 2030 and a leading global aviation hub by 2047.
Studies undertaken by the Ministry indicate that aviation hub development could generate approximately 4 lakh 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 release said.
The model offers enhanced international connectivity from Tier-II and Tier-III cities and improved passenger experience. The launch marked a significant step towards creating an integrated, seamless and passenger-centric aviation network that connects India's regions directly with the world through the airport hub at Delhi, the release said.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol were present.
