Parliament Question: Passengers taking flights in Gujarat as a result of UDAN scheme

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 189 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2nd February 2026 PASSENGERS TAKING FLIGHTS IN GUJARAT AS A RESULT OF UDAN SCHEME 189. SHRI SHAKTISINH GOHIL Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) whether there has been a percentage increase in the number of passengers taking flights in the State of Gujarat as a result of Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme, if so, the details thereof; (b) the number of airports that have been constructed and are currently operational as against the target of achieving 220 airports by 2026, State-wise; and (c) the reasons for the delay in accomplishing the targets set under UDAN scheme? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a) & (b): Yes, there has been an increase in number of domestic passengers handled by airports in Gujarat. The details of domestic passenger handled during last 3 years is attached as Annexure-A. Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme - Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (RCS-UDAN), a total of 93 unserved and underserved airports (including 15 heliports and 02 water aerodromes) have been operationalized across the country as on 20.01.2026. More than 160 lakh domestic passengers have travelled, with approx. 3.36 lakh RCS flights operated under the scheme across the country. In the State of Gujarat, eight airports, including two water aerodromes have been developed and operationalised for RCS flight operations under the Scheme. So far, 71 routes have been operationalised in the State of Gujarat. The State-wise list of airports is at Annexure-B. (c): Non-fulfilment or delay in accomplishing the targets set under UDAN scheme is mainly 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. To address these challenges, the government provides viability gap funding (VGF) to airlines, supports the upgrading of regional airports and encourages operational flexibility. Further, eligible routes that were discontinued in the past rounds due to various reasons such as airline failure, are re-bid, awarded and operationalised in the subsequent rounds. ******Annexure-A Domestic Passengers Handled by Airports in Gujarat Passenger Handled Growth Rate wrt Year (In Million) Previous Year 2022-2023 12.00 - 2023-2024 13.69 14.05% 2024-2025 15.62 14.10%Annexure-B S.No. Name of State/UT No. of Airports 1) A&N island (UT) 1 2) Andhra Pradesh 6 3) Arunachal Pradesh 4 4) Assam 7 5) Bihar 4 6) Chandigarh (UT) 1 7) Chhattisgarh 4 8) Daman & Diu (UT) 1 9) Delhi (UT) 2 10) Goa 2 11) Gujarat 13 12) Haryana 1 13) Himachal Pradesh 5 14) Jammu & Kashmir (UT) 2 15) Jharkhand 3 16) Karnataka 10 17) Kerala 4 18) Ladakh (UT) 1 19) Lakshdweep (UT) 1 20) Madhya Pradesh 8 21) Maharashtra 16 22) Manipur 3 23) Meghalaya 1 24) Mizoram 1 25) Nagaland 1 26) Odisha 5 27) Puducherry (UT) 1 28) Punjab 5 29) Rajasthan 7 30) Sikkim 1 31) Tamil Nadu 6 32) Telangana 2 33) Tripura 1 34) Uttar Pradesh 17 35) Uttarakhand 12 36) West Bengal 5 Grand Total 164