PM acknowledges the achievements of six years of Udan Scheme
- The Prime Minister has responded to the tweet by Ministry of Civil Aviation
- The Ministry has informed that 6 years ago, Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) Udan took flight, connecting Shimla to Delhi.
- Today, with 473 routes and 74 operational airports, heliports, & water aerodromes became the game-changer for the Indian aviation sector.
About UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) Scheme
- It was launched in 2016 to make air travel affordable and accessible to the common citizen of India.
- It is a regional airport development and “Regional Connectivity Scheme” (RCS) of the Union Government of India.
- The scheme envisages providing connectivity to un-served and under-served airports of the country through the revival of existing airstrips and airports.
- It is a market driven ongoing scheme where bidding rounds are conducted periodically for covering more destinations/stations and routes under the scheme.
- Interested airlines assess the demand on particular routes connecting these airports and submit their proposals at the time of bidding.
UDAN 1.0
- Under this phase, 5 airlines companies were awarded 128 flight routes to 70 airports (including 36 newly made operational airports)
UDAN 2.0
- In 2018, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced 73 underserved and unserved airports.
- For the first time, helipads were also connected under phase 2 of the UDAN scheme.
UDAN 3.0
- Inclusion of Tourism Routes under UDAN 3 in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism.
- Inclusion of Seaplanes for connecting Water Aerodromes.
- Bringing in a number of routes in the North-East Region under the ambit of UDAN.
UDAN 4.0
- The 4th round of UDAN was launched in December 2019 with a special focus on North-Eastern Regions, Hilly States, and Islands.
- The airports that had already been developed by Airports Authority of India (AAI) are given higher priority for the award of VGF (Viability Gap Funding) under the Scheme.
- Under UDAN 4, the operation of helicopters and seaplanes has also been incorporated.
UDAN 5.0
- The 5th round of the scheme has introduced several changes, including:
- Focus on Category-2 and Category-3: The current round of the scheme is targeted towards Category-2 (20-80 seats) and Category-3 (>80 seats) aircraft.
- No restriction on stage length: The earlier cap of 600 km on stage length has been waived off, allowing airlines to operate flights on any distance between the origin and destination.
- Increased Viability Gap Funding (VGF) cap: The VGF to be provided will be capped at 600 km stage length for both Priority and Non-Priority areas, which was earlier capped at 500 km.
- Shorter deadline for commencement of operations: Airlines would be required to commence operations within 4 months of the award of the route.
- Earlier this deadline was 6 months.
Prelims take away
- UDAN
- UDAN 5.0