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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 3367
TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 23rd March 2026
REGIONAL ROUTES UNDER UDAN SCHEME
3367. DR. ASHOK KUMAR MITTAL
Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:-
(a) whether a large majority of regional routes launched under the UDAN scheme have been
discontinued after the three-year Viability Gap Funding (VGF) ended;
(b) if so, the exact number and percentage of UDAN routes currently non-operational;
(c) the total quantum of public funds spent on these abandoned routes;
(d) whether the scheme has failed to create self-sustaining regional aviation markets; and
(e) the steps taken to recover funds from operators who abruptly halted services?
ANSWER
Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar
Mohol)
(a) to (e): . As on 28.02.2026, 663 routes have been operationalised under Regional
Connectivity Scheme-Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN)Scheme. Out of which 327
routes have been discontinued, owing to a variety of factors like disruption caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic, aircraft shortage, supply chain issues, aircraft maintenance,
airport/runway maintenance, low passenger demand on some routes, etc.
Out of 327,167 routes connect airports that have transitioned from unserved/underserved to
served airports following earlier UDAN interventions and subsequent development of
infrastructure and market presence.
In order to address the route sustainability issues and to further enhance regional
connectivity, the Government has announced the Modified UDAN Scheme to connect 120
new destinations and cater to 4 crore passengers over next 10 years.
UDAN is a self-financing scheme and funded through levy collected from airlines. A total of
Rs. 4,593.28 crore has been disbursed as Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to Selected Airline
Operators since inception. VGF is released post-facto based on actual flight operations,
therefore clawback or recovery provisions are not applicable.
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