Parliament Question: Non-operational airports under the UDAN scheme

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 176 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2nd February 2026 NON-OPERATIONAL AIRPORTS UNDER THE UDAN SCHEME 176. SHRI NEERAJ DANGI Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) the key factors responsible for non-operationalisation of airports covered under the UDAN scheme so far; (b) whether Government maintains State-wise list of such airports that are included in the UDAN scheme, but has remained non-operational; (c) whether any assessment has been carried out of the expenditure incurred on the development of such airports so far, if so, the details thereof; and (d) whether Government has prepared any time-bound action plan to revive such nonoperational airports, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a) to (d): Currently, 15 (fifteen) airports are non-operational under the UDAN Scheme due to factors such as completion of the three-year Viability Gap Funding (VGF) support period, poor visibility conditions, daytime runway restrictions at VFR-only airports, shortage of aircraft, leasing issues, temporary discontinuation by airlines, novation of routes and low passenger load factors. These airports include Pathankot, Pakyong, Kushinagar, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Shravasti, Moradabad, Bhavnagar, Ambikapur, Ludhiana, Datia, Kalaburagi, Shimla and Cooch Behar. The Government of India approved Rs. 4500 Crore for the revival/upgradation of unserved and underserved airports, heliports, and water aerodromes owned by AAI, State Govt., CPSEs, and MoD. Additionally, Rs.1000 Crore has also been approved in Phase-II to revive 50 more airports. Rs.4640 Crore has been spent till date. In order to ensure sustained flight operation, the government provides VGF to airlines, supports the upgrading of regional airports, and encourages operational flexibility. Further, routes that were discontinued in the past rounds are also rebid, awarded and operationalised in subsequent rounds. Moreover, steps such as increased adoption of technologies like Special Visual Flight Rules and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) standards at feasible airports for all-weather operations have also been taken.The Government has recently announced the launch of the modified UDAN Scheme to increase regional connectivity to 120 new destinations across the country, and to cater to 4 crore passengers in the next 10 years. The scheme will also support helipads and smaller airports in hilly, aspirational and North East region districts. ******