New Delhi, Sep 22 (PTI) The security ecosystems for the hub-and-spoke model flights have been thoroughly revised and strengthened to prevent any lapses in the future, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Tuesday.

The civil aviation ministry has issued a show cause notice to Air India and the airline staff concerned have been suspended, Naidu said briefing about the security lapse at the Delhi airport on September 4 that resulted in three Italian passengers taking a Lufthansa flight to Munich without completing the immigration process.

The passengers had flown on an Air India flight from Amritsar to the national capital enroute to Munich under the hub-and-spoke model.

"...One thing is that we want the security to be intact. There shouldn't be any compromise in terms of security detail in our airport operations. And the second is, we also want to facilitate with a lot of convenience for our international passengers. That is where the idea of hub-and-spoke operations comes," the Minister said.

Naidu said India truly believes in becoming a global aviation hub and for that the hub-and-spoke model is very important.

"We have done three cities and it was going comfortably until we found a lapse there. So immediately, from the ministry, we responded and gave a show cause notice to Air India ... if there is any issue that is coming that needs to be immediately addressed," he said.

A meeting was also held with Air India to understand the carrier's checks and balances so that such incidents do not reoccur.

The three airports where the Hub & Spoke International Flight Operations have been started are Ahmedabad, Varanasi and Amritsar.

The hub-and-spoke model is a key component of the government's International Aviation Hub Strategy, aimed at positioning India as the preferred aviation hub for Indian travellers by 2030 and a leading global aviation hub by 2047.

Under this first-of-its-kind framework, international passengers complete check-in, immigration and customs formalities at the originating spoke airport, which is itself an international airport, before commencing their journey to global destinations.

After arriving at the designated hub airport, passengers can proceed directly to their onward international flight without repeating immigration or customs procedures. Baggage is transferred seamlessly, significantly improving passenger convenience and reducing travel complexity.

"We are today doing in three airports and you should see the feedback that is coming from the people when they can do the immigration, customs everything from their local airport. That is creating a lot of convenience, especially for those mothers who are travelling with kids when they're coming to Delhi to take a connecting flight.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the hub-and-spoke model is expected to deliver multiple benefits, including enhanced international connectivity from Tier-II and Tier-III cities, improved passenger experience, and better utilisation of airport infrastructure, among others. PTI NKD RAM NKD VHI

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