Will Air India passengers skip Delhi transit security starting June 25?

How Easy Connect reroutes the Delhi hub experience

Air India's Easy Connect service lets eligible passengers on domestic-to-international itineraries clear check-in, baggage drop and immigration at their origin airport, then transit Delhi without repeating formalities or security. The first route, Varanasi to Delhi to London on flight AI1111, begins June 25, with further Tier 2 and Tier 3 spokes rolling out under the AI11xx series in the months ahead.

The program is part of the Government of India's hub-and-spoke aviation push, designed to give smaller cities seamless international links via Delhi. Bookings are open through Air India's website, app, contact center and travel agents, with no separate Easy Connect surcharge built into fares.

Who benefits from skipping Delhi formalities

Outbound travelers flying Air India from participating non-metro cities to destinations across Europe, West Asia and Southeast Asia stand to gain the most. That includes tourists, expats based outside the big metros and digital nomads using cities like Varanasi as a long-stay base while keeping access to global routes.

Connections of under four hours on Air India qualify for the streamlined transfer at Delhi: bags move automatically, immigration is already done and passengers head straight to the international gate after a document check. Connections beyond four hours still follow the existing customs and immigration process at Delhi.

Inbound international-to-domestic journeys aren't covered by the same streamlined flow yet.

Practical rules before booking

Travelers on AI11xx flights should plan around these requirements:

• Arrive at the origin airport at least 3 hours before departure.
• Web check-in isn't available; check in at the airport counter.
• Indian nationals must be registered on DigiYatra with the app active and the boarding pass uploaded after check-in.
• Non-Indian nationals proceed to document verification in the Delhi transfer area.
• Customs declarations aren't handled at the origin airport and still apply at the final destination.

The full itinerary must be on Air India and route through Delhi to qualify. Only Varanasi is confirmed as an operational spoke so far, though Air India has flagged expansion to additional Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities without publishing the full list.

Read our full India guide for the complete picture or browse more visa updates.