New Delhi | July 28, 2026
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has officially launched Hub & Spoke International Flight Operations from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar. This marks the second airport integrated under India’s International Aviation Hub Strategy, following the inaugural rollout in Varanasi on June 25, 2026.
Under the new framework, passengers originating from Amritsar can complete check-in, customs, and immigration formalities locally, with baggage checked directly to their final international destination through Delhi Airport.
Strategic Significance & Connectivity Expansion
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Expanded Destination Access: Direct check-in at Amritsar now links passengers to over 20 international destinations via Delhi with a single baggage tag, up from the seven direct international routes previously available.
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Streamlined Passenger Flow: Currently, nearly 3 lakh passengers travel between Amritsar and Delhi annually to catch or return from international flights. Airlines estimate an immediate potential of ~250 daily international transit passengers from Amritsar alone.
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National Economic Vision: Ministry projections suggest that the broader International Aviation Hub Strategy could support up to 4 lakh direct and indirect jobs and add $30 billion to the Indian economy by 2030, scaling to $1.4 trillion in economic impact by 2047 (Viksit Bharat @2047).
Key Stakeholder Presence
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Union Leadership: The initiative was inaugurated via a message from Ram Mohan Naidu, Union Minister of Civil Aviation.
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Key Attendees: Present at the launch were Samir Kumar Sinha (Secretary, MoCA), Puneet Kansal (Additional Secretary, MoCA), Vipin Kumar (Chairman, AAI), Sharad Kumar (Chief Advisor, AAI), and P. Balaji (Group Head – Governance, Air India), along with officials from the Bureau of Immigration, Customs, and CISF.
