Air India has announced plans to launch international flights from Varanasi as part of India’s push to implement a hub-and-spoke aviation model — a move the airline describes as a transformative shift in how the country connects to the rest of the world.
The announcement comes in response to the Indian government’s initiative to move away from a predominantly end-destination market toward a broader global transit ecosystem. Under the hub-and-spoke model, secondary cities like Varanasi would serve as spoke airports feeding into larger international hubs, with customs and immigration processing decentralised away from congested major airports.
For passengers in and around Varanasi — and more broadly across India’s tier 2 and tier 3 cities — the practical benefit is significant: reduced travel times and more seamless connections to international destinations, without the need to first travel to Delhi or Mumbai.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson welcomed the government’s direction, crediting Prime Minister Modi’s vision to position India as a global aviation hub and praising the Minister of Civil Aviation for championing the model. He described the hub-and-spoke approach as a catalyst that will create a strong multiplier effect across the wider aviation ecosystem, while also helping airlines make better use of airport infrastructure being developed across the country.
Balaji, Air India’s Group Head of Governance, Risk, Compliance and Corporate Affairs, framed the Varanasi announcement as a deliberate step to expand India’s international aviation footprint beyond its major metros — making global travel more accessible for millions of passengers who currently face long domestic journeys just to reach an international departure point.
