Bhubaneswar: IndiGo has expressed interest in operating its flights in the second leg of implementing the hub-and-spoke model of air connectivity from Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA). In the first leg, Air India will have its lone flight to Delhi.Under the model, while Bhubaneswar is considered spike, Delhi and all other metros are hubs. Since Air India doesn’t have connectivity with any other metro from BPIA except Delhi, IndiGo’s inclusion in hub-and-spoke would help connect Bhubaneswar to other cities in the said model.“If more cities, especially metros from where maximum international destinations are connected by air, are linked in hub-and-spoke model, it would be successful and as good as direct international flights.
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More destinations connected with Bhubaneswar under the model means more options to fly to foreign countries,” said a senior airport officer.Officials said the Union civil aviation ministry has selected five airports, which would serve as spoke with Bhubaneswar being one of them. There should be maximum four hours but not more between arrival time of domestic flight at the hub and departure of the connecting international flight. If the waiting time at the hub (Delhi) for the international flight is within four hours, then it is workable, airport officials said.The hub-and-spoke model, to kick off in Aug, would benefit overseas travellers as undergoing customs and immigration checks in less crowded airports is far more hassle-free. Two boarding passes would be issued to the passengers, BPIA officials said.Two days ago, BPIA revealed that the proposed hub-and spoke model would facilitate only night departure from the hub (Delhi) for international destinations.Any flight which departs from the spoke (Bhubaneswar) early evening would be able to catch connecting night flights from Delhi to any international cities available, BPIA officials said.BPIA officials said Air India has a night flight from Bhubaneswar at 8.45 pm, which can arrive in Delhi in two hours. From arrival time of around 11 pm, four hours is available for passengers having pre-booked tickets for international destination to go for security check straightaway. The immigration and customs would have been completed at the spoke station, officials said.
