Air Connectivity

The Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR) also recently raised this demand with the state's Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism Minister Diya Kumari

He added that Prime Minister Modi has unlocked India's growth potential by providing the right facilities

The government will extend the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN for 10 more years, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Monday. UDAN has led to the birth and growth of regional airlines, generation of jobs and contribution to tourism, the minister said at a function in the national capital to mark eight years of the scheme. As many as 601 routes and 71 airports have been operationalised under the regional air connectivity scheme. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) is aimed at enhancing regional air connectivity and making flying more affordable. It was introduced on October 21, 2016 for 10 years. The minister said the scheme will be extended for another 10 years. Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam said the ministry is looking at the financial viability aspects and streamlining of the procedures under the scheme. "A total of 86 aerodromes -- comprising 71 airports, 13 heliports, and 2 water aerodromes -- have been operationalised, facilitating the travel of ov

Southeast Asian countries have emerged as the favourite destinations for Indian travellers planning short vacations abroad, while the United States, Europe, and Australia were among the preferences for long stays, according to a survey released on Monday. According to OYO Global Summer Vacations Travelopedia 2024: Southeast Asia has emerged as the top choice of Indian tourists for shorter stays of 5-7 days, making the most of long weekends and holidays after visa relaxation. The final sample size comprised around 4,000 respondents, providing a data set to analyse emerging trends and preferences in the overseas travel behaviour of Indian tourists. Bali emerged as the top destination with 38 per cent respondents voting in its favour, closely followed by Pattaya, Bangkok, and Dubai. Southeast Asian destinations such as Indonesia and Malaysia emerged as preferred countries following relaxed visa norms, OYO said. Europe and the United States of America emerged as the top choice for ...

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday lauded the Narendra Modi-led central government, saying the country is witnessing an expansion of highways, railways, and air connectivity under his rule. "In the last ten years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi India has emerged as a global power. When leadership is good, everyone's respect increases," Adityanath said. The CM made the remarks while addressing the programmes organised under the BJP's 'Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra' in Rapti Nagar and Nanda Nagar of Gorakhpur. According to a press statement issued by the state government, the CM said, "The country is witnessing the expansion of highways, railways, and air connectivity. AIIMS is being established, and industries are flourishing. Employment is being generated on a large scale. Every eligible person is benefiting from welfare schemes, without any discrimination." Adityanath said his party does not see caste or creed when it devises policies and ..

Air connectivity to Rajasthan's Bikaner and Kishangarh airports from other parts of the country is likely to enhance as the Airport Authority of India along with the Ministry of civil aviation has put up both the airports for bidding in order to start new fights. The development came after the Rajasthan government's resident commissioner in New Delhi held a meeting with the secretary of the union ministry sometime back regarding the expansion and development of airports in the state, an official said here. Commissioner of Rajasthan Foundation Dhiraj Srivastava said Bikaner and Kishangarh airports have been included in the bidding process for starting new flight services. Rajasthan Foundation is a body of the state government to address the needs and concerns of non-resident Rajasthanis (NRR). "The bidding process will go on till July 15. By August 15, it is expected that airlines will come up to operate more flights from these two airports," Srivastava said while referring to the .

The government on Wednesday said 50 additional airports, heliports, water aerodromes and advance landing grounds will be revived for improving regional air connectivity in the country. The announcement was made by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget for 2023-24. Over the past few years, the government has been taking various initiatives, especially the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, to boost the regional air connectivity. "Fifty additional airports, heliports, water aerodromes and advance landing grounds will be revived for improving regional air connectivity," Sitharaman said in her Budget speech. Besides, she said that 100 critical transport infrastructure projects, for last and first mile connectivity for ports, coal, steel, fertiliser, and food grains sectors have been identified. "They will be taken up on priority with investment of Rs 75,000 crore, including Rs 15,000 crore from private sources," she added. UDAN flights have transp

A Parliamentary panel on Tuesday asked the civil aviation ministry to expeditiously formulate a seaplane policy and also instruct airports as well as airlines to provide assistance to differently-abled people to board an aircraft. The recommendations are part of the report tabled by the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture. In March this year, the ministry launched the Small Aircraft Scheme (SAS), which includes the operation of seaplanes. However, the committee noted that the seaplane policy has not yet been finalised. "The committee, therefore, reiterates its recommendation that a seaplane policy may be formulated expeditiously in consultation with various stakeholders, which will provide last-mile air connectivity to the common people living in far-flung and remote areas of the country," it said. Chaired by YSR Congress member V Vijayasai Reddy, the panel submitted the report on the action taken by the government on the ...

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said the government is concentrating on last-mile connectivity to Tier-III cities to ensure democratisation of civil aviation in the country. Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Scindia said India has tremendous connectivity between Tier I-II cities. "What needs to be strengthened is last-mile connectivity to Tier-III cities. Our government is concentrating on last- mile connectivity to make sure the democratisation of civil aviation does truly take place in the country," Scindia said during Question Hour. The minister said the government is looking at the small aircraft scheme launched last year under which sub-20 seater aircraft are being used to provide last-mile connectivity. In the last round of UDAN -- UDAN 4.2 -- 132 routes have been awarded of which in the major sectors, 16 are helicopter routes, and almost 50 are seaplane routes, Scindia said. To a question on aerosports, Scindia said it is a new area and has .

The government will increase the regional air connectivity levy charged from airlines operating on major routes to Rs 10,000 per departure from January 1, a move that could push the airfares higher. Currently, the levy is Rs 5,000 per departure and the amount will further go up to Rs 15,000 from April 1 next year, according to a notification. To fund the regional air connectivity scheme -- UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) -- the civil aviation ministry has been collecting the levy from December 2016. As many as 451 UDAN routes were operational till November 1 this year and more such routes are expected to be added in the coming months. An airline industry official said the fares could rise by up to Rs 50 per person once the higher levy comes into force. As per the notification issued last month, the central government has decided to revise the levy and accordingly, the amount will be Rs 10,000 per departure from January 1 to March 31, 2023. From April 1, 2023 to April 30, 2027, the

The steel city of Jamshedpur is all set to have an air connectivity under Union government's Udaan scheme soon, a senior official of East Singhbhum district on Friday said. Air services between Jamshedpur-Kolkata and Jamshedpur-Bhubaneswar are likely to be launched from October 30 with a nine-seater aircraft from Sonari Aerodrome, said Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order), Nandkishore Lal. The Deputy Development Commissioner, Saurabh Sinha and Lal along with aerodrome officials, fire department officials, Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee representative and Traffic DySP Kamal Kishore held a meeting over the issue and discussed security and fire safety arrangements. "We have trained 49 security personnel to be deputed at the aerodrome and 12 of them have already providing their services," the officer added. Earlier airlines including MDLR, Vayudoot and Deccan Airways had launched flights to nearby cities such as Kolkata and Ranchi from Sonari aerodrome, with small ...

Enhancing comprehensive connectivity between India and Bangladesh through the North East is an important aspect of bilateral cooperation and significant progress has been made in recent years

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday said his ministry is working on a policy on the use of small planes and helicopters for expanding regional connectivity. The minister was addressing a function here to mark the inaugural run of Indore-Gondia-Hyderabad flight under UDAN - RCS (Ude Desh Kaa Aam Naagrik - Regional Connectivity Service). Regional airline FlyBig is operating the flight. It was the first commercial flight to Gondia from Indore. "We want that with our policy regional air connectivity should bolster and reach far-flung areas. And for this, a policy for the use of small planes and helicopters is being tailored," Scindia said. He said Indore has been connected by air with 21 cities in the last eight months, which has pushed the number of weekly flights flying in and out from Indore to 445 from 308. He said that a lone direct international flight from Madhya Pradesh to Dubai had already been started from Indore, and efforts are on to run a direct .

Airport currently serves 74 domestic destinations compared to 54 pre-pandemic; most of the new additions are non-metro destinations

At present, the fourth round of 'UDAN' is under process

IndiGo and Vistara too are planning flights between Delhi and Moscow to tap growth in trade and tourism

UDAN scheme will be in operation for a period of 10 years

It noted that private operators had been granted licences as 'largesse' and they were interested in 'lucrative' routes like Mumbai-Delhi