The Ministry of Civil Aviation has started Hub and Spoke international flight operations from Ahmedabad Airport, making it the third airport in India to join this connectivity framework. The announcement came after similar launches at Varanasi in June 2026 and Amritsar in July 2026. The move is part of the government’s plan to position India as a major aviation hub by 2030.
How the new system works
Under the Hub and Spoke model, passengers boarding international flights from Ahmedabad will complete all check-in, immigration and customs procedures at Ahmedabad itself, rather than having to do so again at Delhi Airport. Their baggage will be checked through directly to their final destination abroad. Two daily Air India services will operate from Ahmedabad: flight AI 1117 will connect to 22 destinations across Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, while flight AI 1121, departing at 20:15 hours, will reach 17 destinations in North America, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Europe.
The Civil Aviation Minister noted that currently, around 1.6 crore passengers travel annually from Ahmedabad to Delhi just to catch international flights. These passengers face the inconvenience of separate bookings, handling luggage on arrival at Delhi, waiting in immigration queues and risking missed connections.
The framework will eventually expand to 22 more airports across the country, including Surat in Gujarat. According to government studies, aviation hub development could create roughly 0.4 million direct and indirect jobs by 2030 and add USD 30 billion to India’s GDP. By 2047, the cumulative impact could support approximately 16 million jobs and contribute nearly USD 1.4 trillion to the economy.
What this means for you
If you travel internationally from Ahmedabad, you no longer need to arrange a domestic flight to Delhi or handle multiple bookings and customs checks. You complete all procedures in Ahmedabad and travel directly to your international destination. Business travellers, exporters, students and tourists from Gujarat will have faster, more convenient access to global markets and destinations. The improved connectivity is expected to particularly benefit Gujarat’s textile, pharmaceutical, diamond and engineering sectors.