The Government has approved the 'Revival of unserved and underserved airports' scheme for the revival and development of 100 unserved and under-served Airports, Helipad and Water Aerodromes by 2024.
Highlights
As on January 31, 2023, a total number of 73 unserved, underserved airports have been operationalised.
Viability Gap Funding amount of around Rs 2355 crore has been released to selected Airline Operators as of January 31, 2023.
Ministry of Civil Aviation launched UDAN RCS Scheme on October 21, 2016.
UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) is a regional airport development and “Regional Connectivity Scheme” (RCS) launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, on October 21, 2016. The scheme aims to make air travel more affordable and accessible to people in small towns and cities of India by developing regional airports and connecting them to major cities through affordable flights.
Airports and Air Connectivity Enhanced
Due to the UDAN RCS scheme, Airports and Air Connectivity have seen significant development and growth in recent years. Many unconnected regions are now connected via Air, reducing the time of travel and bringing employment opportunities. As we know, Airports are the development hubs and growth indicators of the economy and region; the number of Airports that became operational is also a significant measure of development.
This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, General (Dr) V. K. Singh (Retd), in a written reply to an unstarred question in Rajya Sabha on February 13, 2023.
Also Read: Airports and RCS Routes Operationalized under UDAN in India
Airports Operationalised under UDAN
As on January 31, 2023, a total number of 73 unserved /underserved airports, including 9 Heliports and 2 water aerodromes, have been operationalised, since 2017, under the UDAN scheme.
UDAN Scheme
UDAN is a self-financing and ongoing scheme where bidding rounds are conducted from time to time to cover more destinations/stations and routes under the scheme. Viability Gap Funding (VGF) amount of around Rs 2355 crore has been released to selected Airline Operators as of January 31, 2023, for the operation of UDAN flights.
The Government has approved the ‘Revival of Unserved and Under-served Airports’ scheme, aimed at reviving and developing 100 unserved and under-served airports, helipads, and water aerodromes by 2024.
UDAN Flight Operations in Punjab
For the details requested for the state of Punjab, Ministry has provided the below response.
As part of the UDAN scheme, the airports/airstrips in Ludhiana, Adampur, Bhatinda, and Pathankot in the state of Punjab have been identified for UDAN flight operations, with four rounds of bidding completed. Selected Airline Operators (SAOs) have begun operating UDAN flights from these airports.
Also Read: Upcoming Greenfield Airports in India to Cater for the Needs of Growing Air Passenger Traffic
List of RCS Airports operationalised as on February 06, 2023
The below list consists of a total of 73 Airports, including 19 Underserved and 54 Unserved Airports.
S No.
State
Airport/Heliport/Water Aerodrome
Year of Operationalisation
1
Andhra Pradesh
Kadapa
2017
2
Kurnool Airport
2021
3
Assam
Jorhat
2018
4
Lilabari
2019
5
Tezpur
2018
6
Rupsi
2021
7
Arunachal Pradesh
Tezu
2021
8
Passighat
2021
9
Hollongi
2023
10
Bihar
Darbhanga
2020
11
Chhattisgarh
Jagdalpur
2018
12
Bilaspur
2021
13
Daman & Diu
Diu
2018
14
Gujarat
Bhavnagar
2018
15
Jamnagar
2018
16
Kandla
2017
17
Keshod
2022
18
Mundra
2018
19
Porbandar
2017
20
Statue of Unity (Water Aerodrome)
2020
21
Sabarmati River Front (Water Aerodrome)
2020
22
Haryana
Hissar
2021
23
Himachal Pradesh
Shimla
2017
24
Kullu
2019
25
Mandi – Heliport
2021
26
Rampur – Heliport
2021
27
Jharkhand
Deoghar
2022
28
Jamshedpur
2023
29
Karnataka
Belgaum
2019
30
Hubli
2018
31
Mysore
2017
32
Vidyanagar
2017
33
Kalaburgi
2019
34
Bidar
2020
35
Kerala
Kannur
2019
36
Madhya Pradesh
Gwalior
2017
37
Maharashtra
Gondia
2022
38
Jalgaon
2017
39
Kolhapur
2018
40
Nanded
2017
41
Ozar
2017
42
Sindhudurg
2021
43
Meghalaya
Shillong
2018
44
Nagaland
Dimapur
2019
45
Odisha
Jharsuguda
2018
46
Jeypore
2022
47
Rourkela
2023
48
Pondicherry (UT)
Pondicherry
2017
49
Punjab
Adampur
2018
50
Bhatinda
2017
51
Ludhiana
2017
52
Pathankot
2018
53
Rajasthan
Bikaner
2017
54
Jaisalmer
2017
55
Kishangarh
2018
56
Sikkim
Pakyong
2018
57
Tamil Nadu
Salem
2018
58
Uttar Pradesh
Agra
2017
59
Allahabad
2018
60
Kanpur
2018
61
Hindon
2019
62
Bareilly
2021
63
Kushinagar
2021
64
Uttarakhand
Pantnagar
2019
65
Pithoragarh
2019
66
Sahastradhara – Heliport
2020
67
Chinyalisaur –Heliport
2020
68
Gaucher – Heliport
2020
69
New Tehri – Heliport
2020
70
Srinagar – Heliport
2020
71
Haldwani – Heliport
2021
72
Almora – Heliport
2022
73
West Bengal
Durgapur
2019
The above list is the number of airports, heliports and water aerodromes operationalised in the country since 2017.
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UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) is a regional airport development and “Regional Connectivity Scheme” (RCS) launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, on October 21, 2016. The scheme aims to make air travel more affordable and accessible to people in small towns and cities of India by developing regional airports and connecting them to major cities through affordable flights.
