India, July 28 -- The government plans to develop 44 airports, including four hub airports, under the Hub and Spoke model to provide seamless international air connectivity, a senior government official confirmed.

Air India on Tuesday launched flights under the model from Amritsar, making it the second spoke airport after Varanasi. Delhi is currently the only hub airport, while Ahmedabad is set to become the next spoke airport.

Under the model, passengers from Tier-II and Tier-III cities will be connected to international destinations through major hub airports such as Delhi.

Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said four hub airports and 40 spoke airports would be developed.

From Amritsar, Air India will connect passengers to 2...