Govt issues SOP for first hub-and-spoke flight operations, sets rules for immigration

INdia’s civic air power ministry has issued a monetary standard operating process for the rural area’s first hub-and-spoke flight operations, laying down protocols for immigration, customs, baggage transfers and passenger segregation between domestic and international legs.In practice, the model will allow passengers from smaller cities to book a single ticket to an international destination, fly to a major airport like Delhi, and connect to their onward flight by clearing immigration and dropping baggage only at their initial departure. The process, routine at airports like Dubai, Singapore and London Heathrow, has not been available in India until now.Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu reviewed Delhi airport’s readiness for hub-and-spoke operations last week after chairing a meeting with key stakeholders, the ministry said.Air India is expected to begin trial hub-and-spoke flights from Varanasi airport starting June 1, PTI reported, citing people familiar with the plans. Passengers will fly from Varanasi to Delhi and connect onward to London.Also Read | 'Industry in extreme stress, verge of shutting down': Federation of Indian Airlines seeks urgent help from governmentThe model is intended to shift India from a predominantly end-destination aviation market to a global transit hub, allowing Indian airports to capture transfer traffic currently routed through foreign hubs. The ministry said it will also link Tier II and III airports developed under the UDAN regional air connectivity scheme to international destinations, PTI reported.How it worksUnder the SOP, both legs of a hub-and-spoke journey — the spoke-to-hub domestic flight and the hub-to-international onward flight — will be classified as international operations.Immigration and customs clearance will take place only at the first point of departure and the final point of arrival. Baggage will be transferred airside at the hub, meaning passengers will not need to collect and recheck bags.Spoke-to-hub flights will carry both domestic and international passengers. Hub-to-spoke flights will carry only international passengers.Web check-in and electronic boarding passes will not be available for domestic-to-international passengers on hub-and-spoke flights, PTI reported. Passengers will instead receive two boarding passes, marked ‘D’ for domestic and ‘I’ for international.At hub airports, domestic and international passengers must be segregated immediately upon disembarkation through dedicated channels.The model is expected to reduce turnaround times, improve connectivity between domestic and international sectors and enhance passenger experience.