New Delhi: As many as 120 new airports will be connected over the next 10 years under a modified UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme to help 4 crore additional passengers avail affordable air travel, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Saturday.
In her Union Budget speech, the finance minister also proposed focusing on helipads and smaller airports in hilly districts and the Northeast.
“UDAN has enabled 1.5 crore middle-class people to meet their aspirations for speedier travel. The scheme has connected 88 airports and operationalized 619 routes. Inspired by that success, a modified UDAN scheme will be launched to enhance regional connectivity to 120 new destinations and carry 4 crore passengers in the next 10 years. The scheme will also support helipads and smaller airports in hilly, aspirational, and North East region
districts,” she said.
Launched on 21 October, 2016, the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), better known as UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik), looks to make flying accessible and affordable for every Indian. Led by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, this initiative focuses on connecting unserved and underserved airports, ensuring that even the most remote regions get their place on the aviation map.
Poll-bound Bihar got a bonanza in the form of greenfield airports—those built from the scratch—for meeting its future aviation needs. “These will be in addition to the expansion of the capacity of Patna airport and a brownfield airport at Bihta,” the finance minister said.
At the same time, the Centre cut down the budget allocation for the Ministry of Civil Aviation from Rs 2,658.68 crore allocated in the revised budget for 2024-25 to Rs 2,400.31 crore for 2025-26. Similarly, UDAN’s allocation went down from Rs 800 crore to Rs 540 crore.
Similarly, allocations for regulatory bodies like the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) have seen adjustments, reducing to Rs 302.64 crore and Rs 89 crore, respectively, for FY25.
In contrast, the allocation for Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for drones and drone components rose from Rs 33 crore in the FY24 revised estimates to Rs 57 crore in FY25.
“Grateful to see the #UnionBudget2025 continue the transformative vision of Hon’ble PM with the modified UDAN scheme, now expanding to 120 new destinations. The focus on enhancing helicopter services and developing helipads in hilly, aspirational, and Northeast districts will revolutionize regional air mobility, ensuring that even the remotest regions are connected,” Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu posted on ‘X’.
He further thanked Sitharaman for “this inclusive and forward-looking step toward making aviation accessible to every citizen”.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
A dumb move by the Union govt.
Most of the UDAN airports built in the Tier 2 & Tier 3 cities are barely functional. Some are even lying unused. Most UDAN flight routes, initiated with much fanfare, are no longer operational. All of this is simply due to false projections made in the Detailed Project Reports (DPR).
Given this situation, any sensible govt would wish to take a hard look at the UDAN scheme and it’s continued viability.
Similar is the situation with the metro projects across the nation.