Parliament Question: Air Accessibility under UDAN Scheme

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 800 th (To be answered on the 4 December 2025) AIR ACCESSIBILITY UNDER UDAN SCHEME

800. DR. PRASHANT YADAORAO PADOLE

Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:-

(a) whether the Government is aware that the Regional Connectivity Scheme Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) has facilitated over 3.23 lakh flights and carried more than 1.56 crore passengers in the nine years since its launch thereby enhancing air accessibility in Tier-2/3 and remote regions and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the number of routes and airports added under UDAN in Maharashtra during 2024-25 and the number of routes and airports out of them located in tribal or backward districts including those in Gondiya Lok Sabha Constituency;

(c) whether special incentives or Concessional Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is offered for airports or air-strips in tribal or remote districts to attract operators and ensure affordability; and

(d) the mechanism in place to monitor utilisation including load-factor andon-time performance, service sustainability and the details of the tribal or remote airports that meet performance benchmarks? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol)

(a) and (b) : Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme - Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN), more than 157 lakh passengers, , have been benefited from the operation of 3.27 lakh RCS flights connecting various destinations across the country including Tier-II cities.During 2024-25, two airports namely Amravati and Solapur have been developed and operationalised in Maharashtra. Also, during the period of January 2024 to November 2025, 34 RCS routes have been operationalized in Maharashtra connecting various airports across the country including those located in tribal or backward districts.

(c) : Viability Gap Funding (VGF) support and various concessions are provided to Airline Operators to incentivise their participation and ensure affordability. As on date, an amount of Rs. 4,352 crore has been disbursed to support the Selected Airline Operators in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under the scheme.

(d) : The Government monitors the utilisation and performance of UDAN routes through parameters such as load factor, on-time performance, aircraft deployment, and service sustainability, which are periodically reviewed through a structured monitoring mechanism. Airports located in tribal or remote districts, including operational UDAN airports in Maharashtra are regularly assessed and the routes meeting the prescribed performance criteria continue to receive support to ensure sustained and reliable regional air connectivity in such underserved regions.

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