Parliament Question: Present status of UDAN Scheme

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. : 20 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2nd February 2026 PRESENT STATUS OF UDAN SCHEME 20. SHRI HARSH MAHAJAN Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) present status of UDAN Scheme in the country and major objectives of the Scheme at this stage; (b) proposals envisaged under UDAN Scheme for the State of Himachal Pradesh, including development/expansion of airports and heliports and the commencement or expansion of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter services; (c) whether Government is aware that regular flight services are not being operated from Shimla airport in Himachal Pradesh under UDAN Scheme and, if so, the reasons therefor; and (d) concrete steps being taken by Government to commence regular flight services from Shimla airport at the earliest and whether any timeline has been fixed in this regard? ANSWER Minister of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu) A statement is laid on Table of the House. ******STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (D) IN RESPECT OF RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 20 FOR REPLY ON 02.02.2026 REGARDING PRESENT STATUS OF UDAN SCHEME ASKED BY SHRI HARSH MAHAJAN. (a): The Regional Connectivity Scheme-Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) was launched in 2016 with the objective of enhancing regional air connectivity to remote and unserved areas of the country through a demand based bidding mechanism that incentivizes airlines to connect unserved/underserved airstrips in the country. Under the Scheme, 657 RCS routes have been operationalised, connecting 93 unserved and underserved airports, including 15 heliports and 2 water aerodromes as on 20.01.2026. More than 160 Lakhs passengers benefitted by connecting through 3.36 Lakhs RCS flights operated under the scheme. (b): Under the UDAN scheme, two airports and nine helipads have been identified in the state of Himachal Pradesh for development and operation of RCS flights . A total of 38 RCS routes have been operationalised, connecting 6 (six) aerodromes namely Shimla, Kullu, Rampur (Heliport), Mandi (Heliport), Reckong Peo (Heliport) & Sanjoli (Heliport) in the State of Himachal Pradesh. (c) & (d): M/s Alliance Air operated flight services on the Shimla-Delhi-Shimla and Shimla- Amritsar-Shimla routes under the RCS-UDAN using ATR-42 aircraft. However, operations on the Delhi sector were discontinued effective from 16th October, 2025, following the completion of the prescribed three-year Viability Gap Funding (VGF) tenure, while the Amritsar service, which commenced on November 16, 2023, was discontinued with effect from October 17, 2025, due to a shortage of operational aircraft in the airline's fleet. If any airline submits a valid bid for the RCS routes connecting Shimla airport, in the upcoming rounds of bidding, the same may be considered as per the provisions of the UDAN Scheme. Further, the Government has announced the launch of the modified UDAN Scheme to increase regional connectivity to 120 new destinations across the country, to cater to 4 crore passengers over the next 10 years. *****