Air India Introduces ‘Easy Connect’ Flights, Leads Rollout From Varanasi On June 25

* Introducing Air India ‘Easy Connect’ Flights from Varanasi on June 25

* Complete check-in and immigration process at Varanasi for flights to Europe, West Asia, and Southeast Asia

Air India today opened bookings for its first flights under the Government of India’s hub-and-spoke model, introducing these as ‘Easy Connect’ flights, and enabling travellers from cities beyond major hubs to drop baggage and complete immigration at origin airport and travel seamlessly to destinations across the world.

Air India’s new Easy Connect flights will commence from Varanasi on 25 June 2026. As the lead carrier spearheading the implementation of this transformative model, Air India will be driving a phased rollout of Easy Connect flights across multiple cities in the months ahead to operationalise seamless international connectivity from India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities at scale.
What hub-and-spoke flights mean for travellers

Under the hub-and-spoke model, ‘spoke’ cities such as Varanasi are connected to major ‘hub’ airports like Delhi, from where passengers can seamlessly access Air India’s extensive global network. This coordinated structure allows passengers from non-metro cities to connect efficiently to multiple international destinations through a single hub, with optimised schedules and a smooth transit experience.

At the heart of the model, designed and implemented by Air India in close coordination with industry stakeholders, is a significantly simplified and more intuitive international travel experience:

· Through check-in to final destination: Travellers from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities such as Varanasi can check in at their home airport all the way through to their final international destination, with no need to collect or re-check baggage at the hub airport (e.g. Delhi).

· Immigration at origin: Travellers will complete international immigration formalities at their originating airport, avoiding queues and processing at the hub.

· Seamless international transit via ‘hub’ airport: Passengers will transit through hub airports like Delhi as international travellers, making connections faster and more efficient.

Importantly, travellers also benefit from a familiar and comfortable transit environment within India, avoiding the complexity and unfamiliarity usually associated with transiting through foreign hub airports.
Easy Connect flights from Varanasi to the world

The designated Easy Connect flight from Varanasi to Delhi will operate daily as AI1111. Within four hours of arrival at Delhi, the flight is timed to provide seamless connections to 17 international destinations, including London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Milan, Rome, Zurich, Manila, Singapore, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh, and Dubai, among others.

Subsequent Easy Connect flights with hub-and-spoke operations from other ‘spoke’ airports will be numbered in the ‘AI11XX’ series, creating a distinct network identity for these services.

P. Balaji, Group Head – Governance, Risk, Compliance & Corporate Affairs, Air India, said: “The successful implementation of the hub-and-spoke model requires close coordination across airlines, airports, and multiple government agencies, and we are grateful for the strong collaboration that has enabled this rollout. Air India is committed to continuing to work closely with all stakeholders across the industry and the Government of India as we expand this model to more cities and phases. Together, we are building a more efficient, integrated, and globally competitive aviation ecosystem for India.”

The rollout will expand to several additional cities in a phased manner over the coming months, as Air India continues to anchor and lead the implementation of this next-generation connectivity model.

Bookings for Air India’s Easy Connect flights under the new hub-and-spoke model are now open across all channels, including Air India’s website, mobile app, contact centre, and travel agents.

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS DEPARTING DELHI WITHIN FOUR HOURS OF AIR INDIA EASY CONNECT FLIGHT’S ARRIVAL:

 

FROM SPOKE TO HUB					INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS
Flight #	Sector	Departure	Arrival		Flight #	Sector	Departure
					AI2017	Delhi-London	12:05 Hrs
						Heathrow
					AI151	Delhi-Zurich	12:15 Hrs
					AI2362	Delhi-Manila	12:25 Hrs
					AI123	Delhi-Rome	12:20 Hrs
					AI157	Delhi-	12:20 Hrs
						Copenhagen
					AI2029	Delhi-Frankfurt	12:20 Hrs
				>>>	AI153	Delhi-Vienna	12:30 Hrs
					AI137	Delhi-Milan	12:45 Hrs
				Connections
					AI281	Delhi-Colombo	12:40 Hrs
AI1111	Varanasi-Delhi	09:50	11:00	within 4 hours
					AI2388	Delhi-Ho Chi Minh City	12:55 Hrs
					AI2015	Delhi-London	13:10 Hrs
						Heathrow
					AI2382	Delhi-Singapore	13:10 Hrs
					AI2376	Delhi-Phuket	13:25 Hrs
					AI2243	Delhi-Riyadh	13:45 Hrs
					AI2384	Delhi-Kuala	13:40 Hrs
						Lumpur
					AI2304	Delhi-Bangkok	14:30 Hrs
					AI219	Delhi-	14:25 Hrs
						Kathmandu
					AI4309	Delhi-Dubai	15:15 Hrs

 

About Air India Group

The Air India Group – comprising full-service global airline, Air India, and value carrier, Air India Express – is spearheading a new era of Indian aviation. The Air India story began in 1932 when JRD Tata piloted the airline’s inaugural flight and opened the skies for aviation in India. Today, Air India Group employs more than 30,000 people, operates over 300 aircraft and carries travellers to 60 domestic and 51 international destinations across five continents.

Air India And Thai Airways Deepen Partnership To Expand Travel Options Between Thailand, India And beyond

· Air India and THAI sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore greater collaboration

· Codeshare partnership in 2026, subject to regulatory approvals

Air India, India’s leading global airline, and Thai Airways International (THAI), Thailand’s national carrier, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) building on their existing interline agreement, to explore a deeper partnership aimed at boosting connectivity between Thailand, India, and destinations beyond, leveraging each other’s global network strengths.

The MoU was signed on 07 June 2026 on the sidelines of the ongoing IATA AGM in Rio de Jeneiro, Brazil.

Air India and THAI intend to enter into a codeshare agreement in 2026, subject to the requisite regulatory approvals, designed to expand travel options for travellers between India and Thailand and deliver enhanced customer value across their respective networks.

The two Star Alliance member carriers intend to place their respective designator codes (‘AI’ for Air India and ‘TG’ for THAI) on each other’s flights between India and Thailand as well as on select international routes from the two countries, providing their customers with convenient access to several destinations across Asia, North America, and Europe. The specific terms governing the proposed codeshare agreement will be announced in due course.

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said: “India and Thailand are connected by longstanding cultural ties, growing economic engagement, and strong flows of tourism and business travel. As Asia reinforces its position at the centre of global growth, deeper collaboration between leading airlines will be key to enabling that growth by making travel more seamless and accessible. This MoU with Thai Airways brings together two carriers with complementary strengths and a shared commitment to service excellence. It also supports Air India’s broader ambition to strengthen India’s connectivity with the world, offering our customers more choice and greater value.”

Chai Eamsiri, Chief Executive Officer, THAI, stated: “The MoU with Air India marks a meaningful milestone in our strategy to strengthen the regional connectivity and better serve to passengers traveling between Thailand, India and destination beyond. It also reflects the shared commitment of both airlines to supporting economic growth, promoting people-to-people exchanges, while contributing to broader cooperation between the two countries.”

About Air India Group

The Air India Group – comprising full-service global airline, Air India, and value carrier, Air India Express – is spearheading a new era of Indian aviation. The Air India story began in 1932 when JRD Tata piloted the airline’s inaugural flight and opened the skies for aviation in India. Today, Air India Group employs more than 30,000 people, operates over 300 aircraft and carries travellers to 60 domestic and 51 international destinations across five continents.

Returning to Tata Sons in 2022 following 70 years under Government ownership, Air India Group is in the midst of a five-year transformation programme, Vihaan.AI. As part of the transformation, Air India has placed orders for 600 new aircraft. In addition to taking new aircraft deliveries, Air India is progressively retrofitting all its legacy aircraft.

The Air India Group operates South Asia’s largest aviation training academy in Gurugram, India. The construction of a new flying school and a greenfield maintenance base is in progress.

With transformation underway across all facets of the business and India’s rich legacy of hospitality, Air India is committed to being a world class global airline with an Indian heart.

For more news on Air India, visit http://www.airindia.com/newsroom

About Thai Airways (THAI)

Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) is Thailand’s national carrier, operating from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. Established in 1960, THAI has built a strong heritage of Thai hospitality and service excellence under its “Smooth as Silk” brand promise. Today, THAI connects Thailand to 62 destinations in 29 countries worldwide. As a founding member of Star Alliance, Thai Airways offers passengers an extensive global network, seamless connectivity, and a premium travel experience across international routes.  

Godrej Professional Launches The Vybe Collection In Bangalore, To Upskill 1000+ Hair Stylists Across The Country

Godrej Professional, a professional hair brand with products in hair care, colour, styling and treatments from Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), has unveiled its latest trend-forward hair colour collection Vybe powered by Colour Play available across leading salons in Bangalore and across the country. Colour Play is Godrej Professional’s high-performance colour system, designed to deliver trend-forward shades with rich vibrancy and long-lasting intensity while nourishing hair and maintaining its health.

The new hair colour collection brings together three distinct trend-led looks. First one being ‘Chaos Mode’ which stands out with cool-toned beige blondes designed for bold, fearless personalities. Second look is called ‘Soft Launch’ which reimagines quiet luxury through rich, dimensional brunette blends. Third look called ‘Main Character’ makes a statement with warm auburn browns for those who walk into every room and own it.

With the unveiling of new hair colour collection, Godrej Professional is set to upskill 1000+ salon professionals across the country through technique seminars around Vybe. Kick-starting the launch, the first upskilling event was organised in Bangalore where over 200+ hairstylists, salon professionals and salon owners participated.

Commenting on the launch of Vybe, Bhoomika Goyal, Business Head, Godrej Professional said, “The Vybe Collection reflects where the future of hair colour is headed, towards bolder, more expressive and trend-led looks. Powered by Godrej Professional’s Colour Play range, Vybe is designed to give salons globally inspired colour trends tailored for globally influenced consumers. Through this launch, we are taking Vybe across multiple cities to upskill over 1000 salon professionals, because future of the category growth comes from empowering the hairstyling community alongside us. With trendsetting collections like Vybe, our focus is to deepen salon engagement by equipping stylists with the latest techniques and celebrate the creative professionals who bring every colour story to life for their clients.”

The launch event featured immersive training session and a high-energy hair show led by Shailesh Moolya, National Technical Head, Godrej Professional, showcasing the collection's directional colour looks and the advanced colouring techniques defining the next wave of global hair aesthetics. The session focused on equipping salon professionals with the expertise to translate global colour trends into personalised, mood-led hair transformations, elevating both the client experience and their own creative practice. Post the technique building session, the Vybe Collection came alive on a high-fashion ramp, a bold, visual showcase before the city's most influential salon professionals.

Shailesh Moolya, National Technical Head, Godrej Professional said, "Vybe was built around a single truth, a vibe is the emotional energy you carry and your hair colour should carry it with you. Chaos Mode oozes positive and cool toned beige blonde tones that are luminous, multidimensional, alive with movement. Soft Launch is a calm blend of brunettes, effortlessly luxurious. Main Character is bold and powerful draped in auburn brown that commands a room. Each look is brought to life through techniques inspired by the world around us, from Japanese Kintsugi art to a turtle's shell. Global beauty is moving fast towards identity-led expression and Godrej Professional is actively shaping the future of how India wears colour."

Inspired by today’s generation where identity is all about moods, not rules, the Vybe Collection transforms hair colour into a form of self-expression. Built around the philosophy "Hair colour is an expression of —feel your shade, wear your vybe," the collection celebrates individuality through Chaos Mode, Soft Launch, and Main Character.

Complementing the Vybe Collection, Godrej Professional also showcased Botosmooth, an advanced hair Botox treatment formulated without formaldehyde and enriched with nourishing oils. Designed to restore, smoothen and reduce frizz, Botosmooth delivers softer, shinier and more manageable hair with lasting results. The Vybe Collection and Botosmooth treatment are available at leading salons across Bangalore and across the country.

ABOUT GODREJ CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Godrej Consumer Products is a leading emerging markets company, driven by the purpose of bringing the goodness of health and beauty to consumers in emerging markets. As part of the Godrej Industries Group, we are fortunate to have a proud legacy of over 125 years, built on the strong values of trust, integrity, and respect for others. At the same time, we are growing fast and have exciting, ambitious aspirations.

Today, we enjoy the patronage of 1.4 billion consumers globally. We rank among the largest Household Insecticide and Hair Care players in emerging markets. In Household Insecticides, we are the leader in India, the second largest player in Indonesia and are expanding our footprint in Africa. We are the leader in serving the Hair Care needs of women of African descent, the number one player in Hair Colour in India and Sub-Saharan Africa, and among the leading players in Latin America. We rank number two in Soaps in India and are the number one player in Air Fresheners and Wet Tissues in Indonesia.

We believe that we are only as good as what we do next. So, we strive to continuously improve how we do business, and how we live in the world, shaping a more sustainable and responsible future by placing our planet and people alongside profit. Through Godrej Good & Green, we are helping create a more inclusive and greener planet, in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, and the needs of local communities. At the Godrej DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Lab, we work on empowering inclusion, help build DEI ecosystems across corporate India and aim to bring ideas and innovation related to DEI to the mainstream.