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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 741
( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 23rd July 2026 )
ROUTES UNDER UDAN SCHEME
741. SHRI KARTI P. CHIDAMBARAM
Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION
be pleased to state:-
(a) the number of routes operational under the UDAN Scheme as on date along
with the number of routes discontinued due to lack of viability since its inception,
State/UT-wise;
(b) the details of the total Viability Gap Funding disbursed to airline operators
under the said Scheme during the last three years;
(c) whether the Government has evaluated the impact of UDAN on air connectivity
to Tier-II and Tier-III cities and if so, the key findings thereof;
(d) the steps being taken to ensure the sustained profitability of regional routes
without continued subsidy dependence; and
(e) the timeline fixed for extending UDAN to hilly and North Eastern States
currently underserved by air connectivity?
ANSWER
Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION
(Shri Murlidhar Mohol)
(a) & (b): Since inception of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN,
679 RCS routes have been operationalised, out of which 348 routes are presently
operational. The State/UT-wise details of routes that were discontinued before
completion of the RCS tenure and are currently non-operational due to various
reasons are at Annexure. The total VGF disbursed to airlines during FY 2023-24,
FY 2024-25 and FY 2025-26 was Rs. 807.02 crore, Rs. 628.42 crore, and Rs.
738.13 crore(provisional), respectively.
(c): The impact of the UDAN Scheme has been evaluated through the following
studies:i. The report "The Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN - Progress and
Prospects" by the Indian School of Business (ISB), (2021-22)
ii. The mid-term appraisal for the Scheme "Evaluation Study of Regional
Connectivity Scheme" by DMEO NITI Aayog (2023-24)
(d) & (e): The next phase of the UDAN Scheme was launched on 04.07.2026, and
is being implemented from FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36 with an outlay of Rs.
28,840 crore, including Rs. 3,661 crore for development of 200 heliports in Hilly,
North-Eastern and Aspirational (HINER) States/districts. To ensure self-
sustainability of UDAN routes over time without perpetual dependence on
financial support, the Scheme incorporates a longer VGF mechanism extending up
to five years, progressively tapered to enable airlines to transition towards
commercially sustainable operations, while UDAN airfares are capped for seats
supported through VGF to ensure affordability.
******Annexure
State/UT-wise Number of Discontinued RCS Routes before completion of
tenure
S. No. State/UT No. of Discontinued RCS Routes
1 Andhra Pradesh 3
2 Arunachal Pradesh 3
3 Assam 15
4 Bihar 3
5 Chhattisgarh 4
6 Delhi (UT) 2
7 Gujarat 11
8 Haryana 2
9 Himachal Pradesh 5
10 Jammu & Kashmir (UT) 1
11 Jharkhand 3
12 Karnataka 12
13 Madhya Pradesh 14
14 Maharashtra 5
15 Manipur 1
16 Meghalaya 2
17 Odisha 1
18 Punjab 7
19 Rajasthan 11
20 Sikkim 1
21 Tamil Nadu 2
22 Telangana 3
23 Uttar Pradesh 34
24 Uttarakhand 17
25 West Bengal 3