PM Modi's ambitious UDAN scheme, launched in 2016, has introduced 517 new flying routes and 76 airports in small towns and cities over the past 7 years. But flight path has been bumpy.
One key finding CAG report that Kharge also mentioned, is that as of March 2023, of 774 awarded routes under UDAN, only 7% could sustain operations beyond 3-year concession period.
Minister of state for civil aviation told Lok Sabha that airlines plan flights on routes based on market demand & commercial feasibility, over which aviation ministry has no jurisdiction.
At the behest of the govt, Honeywell is developing software that will decipher accents and automatically transcribe what’s said for air traffic controllers.
After dominating India’s crude imports since 2023, Russian supplies slowed amid US sanctions, but a 30-day ‘waiver’ amid West Asia tensions could now push flows back towards 2 mbpd.
Trump has ushered in the age of humiliation. His method is to push around America’s friends rudely and publicly. He knows none of them can afford to fight back.
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