Regional Air Connectivity

Regional air connectivity will continue to be a priority for the government and air passenger traffic is projected to touch 40 crore by 2029, Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam said on Monday. Speaking at a conference in the national capital, he also said the ecosystem is being developed for operations of seaplanes. Emphasising that there is "huge potential" for growth of the country's aviation sector, he said that 10 years ago, passenger traffic was at 11 crore and the count has doubled to 22 crore. By 2029, the number is expected to touch 40 crore, he said and added that there is aspiration among people for air travel. The Regional Air Connectivity (RCS) scheme or UDAN aims to enhance regional air connectivity from unserved and underserved airports as well as make air travel more affordable. Vualnam said RCS will remain a priority for the government and efforts are also on to push operations of helicopters and seaplanes. Under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), which was .

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

DGCA has given the air operator permit to Fly91 on March 6

The government on Friday launched the fifth round of the regional air connectivity scheme to further enhance the connectivity to remote and regional areas. Under UDAN 5.0, viability gap funding (VGF) will be capped at 600 kilometres stage length for both priority and non-priority areas, which was earlier capped at 500 km. Besides, no pre-determined routes would be offered. Only network and individual route proposals by airlines will be considered, the civil aviation ministry said in a release. Under the fifth round of Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) or Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), the focus will be on Category-2 (20-80 seats) and Category-3 (more than 80 seats). The release said the earlier stage length cap of 600 kilometres is waived and there is no restriction on the distance between the origin and destination of the flight. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said this new and stronger version of the scheme will raise the momentum, connecting new routes and bring

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 multi-modal connectivity envisaged under "PM Gati Shakti" will be achieved if the Centre and all the 36 states and Union territories work together, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said

Work on building new airports in small towns and upgrading existing facilities has failed to keep pace

Over the next two years, Alliance Air aims to expand its fleet to 50 ATR aeroplanes

The Civil Aviation Ministry started collecting the levy from December 1, 2016

Representatives from all states except Tamil Nadu, Manipur and Madhya Pradash attended the meeting

Under the scheme, which is part of the ambitious civil aviation policy announced on June 15, the government has decided to cap airfares at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flights that connects an unserved airport