Why in news
- Ministry of Civil Aviation expanded its Hub & Spoke international flight model to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad.
- Ahmedabad becomes the third airport integrated into the framework after Varanasi and Amritsar.
What is the Hub & Spoke Model?
- A civil aviation operational model where regional spoke airports channel feeder passenger traffic into a central primary hub airport for long-haul international flights.
- Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport functions as the central international hub under this domestic integration framework.
Operational Mechanism
- Before implementation, passengers from non-hub airports handled baggage transfers and domestic-to-international transfers manually at the hub airport.
- Under the framework, through-check-in and direct baggage transfer allow seamless domestic feeder connectivity to global long-haul flights.
Why it matters
- Reduces operational dependence on foreign hub airports in the Middle East and Southeast Asia by building domestic aviation hub capacity.
Key terms
Hub and Spoke System
An aviation network structure where traffic moves along spokes connecting peripheral points to a central hub.
Prelims facts
- Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi serves as the primary designated national hub under this framework.
Mains discussion
- Significance of domestic hub creation in capturing international passenger transit traffic and strengthening Indian carrier competitiveness.
Source: PIB Press Release
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