Parliament Question: Affordable Regional Air Connectivity under UDAN Scheme

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 6436 ( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2nd April 2026 ) AFFORDABLE REGIONAL AIR CONNECTIVITY UNDER UDAN SCHEME 6436. SMT MALVIKA DEVI SHRI DILIP SAIKIA SHRI PRATAP CHANDRA SARANGI SMT SHOBHANABEN MAHENDRASINH BARAIYA SHRI P P CHAUDHARY SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO SMT MAHIMA KUMARI MEWAR DR. M K VISHNU PRASAD SMT KAMLESH JANGDE SHRI PRADEEP KUMAR SINGH SHRI LUMBARAM CHOUDHARY DR. VINOD KUMAR BIND SHRI YOGENDER CHANDOLIA SHRI KOTA SRINIVASA POOJARY SHRI TEJASVI SURYA SHRI DINESHBHAI MAKWANA SHRI KHAGEN MURMU SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM SHRI DAMODAR AGRAWAL SHRI CHANDRA PRAKASH JOSHI SHRI TAPIR GAO SHRI PRAVEEN PATEL SHRI RODMAL NAGAR SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) whether the Government proposes to further expand the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme to connect additional Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and remote areas through affordable regional air connectivity;(b) if so, the details thereof including the number of additional airports, heliports and water aerodromes proposed to be operationalised in the upcoming phases, State-wise; (c) whether the Government proposes to commence regular flights from Manpur airstrip during the current session; and (d) whether the Government has conducted any assessment of the operational sustainability of routes under the UDAN scheme, particularly with regard to Viability Gap Funding (VGF) and airline participation and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a) to (c): The Government has recently approved a modified UDAN Scheme to connect 120 new destinations, serve 4 crore passengers over the next 10 years. The scheme will also support helipads and small airports in hilly, aspirational and North East region districts. Any valid proposal for air connectivity to Manpur (Abu Road) Airstrip may be considered as per the scheme provisions. (d): An evaluation study titled "Evaluation Study of Regional Connectivity Scheme" was conducted by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog during 2023-24. The study highlighted the need for clearer targets, improved route selection based on regional market conditions, adequate funding of the Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF), feasibility assessments for RCS airports, capacity building and stronger coordination with State/UT Governments. ******