Over 10 mn air passengers availed benefit of UDAN scheme: Govt

Over one crore air passengers have availed the benefit of the government's UDAN regional connectivity scheme since its inception in 2016, MoS for Civil Aviation, Gen. V.K. Singh (retd), said

Air travel, Flight, Aviation
Air travel, Flight, Aviation
IANS New Delhi
2 min read Last Updated : Jul 21 2022 | 6:49 PM IST

Over one crore air passengers have availed the benefit of the government's UDAN regional connectivity scheme since its inception in 2016, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Gen. V.K. Singh (retd), said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

The scheme focuses on connectivity between Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and the number of beneficiaries will increase manifold as connectivity improves between the unserved and underserved airports, the reply said.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation had launched the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme on October 21, 2016 to enhance regional air connectivity from unserved and underserved airports in the country by making air travel affordable for the masses.

So far, 425 UDAN routes have been operationalised across the country, connecting 68 UDAN airports, including two water aerodromes and eight heliports.

According to Singh's reply, the government had approved a scheme at a total cost of Rs 4,500 crore for the revival and development of unserved and underserved airports of state governments, Airports Authority of India(AAI), Civil Enclaves, Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), helipads and water aerodromes. The expenditure incurred up to June 30, 2022 under this scheme was Rs 2,610 crore.

An airport which is included in the awarded routes of UDAN and requires upgradation/development for commencement of RCS (regional connectivity scheme) operations is developed under the 'Revival/upgradation of unserved and underserved airports/heliports/water aerodromes' scheme.

Year-wise details of air passengers who availed the UDAN scheme:

* 2017-18: 2,63,166

* 2018-19: 12,40,896

* 2019-20: 29,91,337

* 2020-21: 14,98,066

* 2021-22: 32,99,860

--IANS

kumar/arm

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Aviation industryUdan schemeAir passenger

First Published: Jul 21 2022 | 6:49 PM IST

Next Story