UDAN: 517 Routes Created Connecting 76 Airports; Over 130 Lakh Passengers Availed Benefits of Scheme

More than 130 lakh people have availed the benefits of the UDAN scheme, which caters to unserved and underserved airports of the country. So far, Rs 3,751 crore out of Rs 4,500 crore allotted has been utilised since the inception of the regional airport development programme.

Minister of state for civil aviation Gen VK Singh (retd) told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply that under the UDAN scheme, 517 routes have commenced operations connecting 76 airports, including nine heliports and two water aerodromes. He said more than 130 city pairs have been created by the commencement of UDAN flights, and 2.47 lakh flights have operated under the scheme so far, carrying more than 130 lakh passengers.

The scheme was introduced to boost regional connectivity at an affordable rate for the masses for a period of 10 years, and this has been achieved by reviving airstrips and airports across India. The central government has set a target to operate 1,000 UDAN routes during the currency of the scheme and to revive or develop 100 airports, including water aerodromes and heliports.

Concessions offered under the scheme are:

Airport operators

• Airport operators not to levy landing and parking charges on RCS flights
• The Airports Authority of India (AAI) not to levy any terminal navigation landing charges (TNLC) on RCS flights
• Route navigation and facilitation charges (RNFC) to be levied by the AAI on a discounted basis at 42.50 percent of normal rates on RCS flights
• Selected airline operators (SAO) allowed self-ground handling for operations under the scheme at all airports

Central Government

• Excise duty at the rate of 2 percent to be levied on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) purchased by SAOs from RCS airports for an initial period of three years from the date of notification of this scheme
• SAOs have the freedom to enter into code-sharing arrangements with both domestic as well as international airlines

State Governments at RCS Airports within their States

• Reduce VAT to 1 percent or less on ATF at RCS airports located within the state for a period of 10 years
• Provide minimum land, if required, free of cost and free from encumbrance for development of RCS airports and provide multi-modal hinterland connectivity as required
• Provide security and fire services free of cost at RCS airports
• Provide or cause to be provided, electricity, water and other utility services at substantially concessional rates at RCS airports.