India, June 25 -- The Centre rolled out the hub-and-spoke aviation model from Varanasi, a move aimed at allowing passengers from tier II and tier III cities to access international destinations through major Indian airports without having to repeat baggage and immigration formalities during transit.

Air India operated its first Easy Connect flight from Varanasi to Delhi under this model.

Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the initiative, launched with Air India as the first participating airline, would change the way passengers from smaller cities connect with the rest of the world and help integrate more airports into the country's international aviation network.

Under the new system, passengers flying from cities such as Va...