Parliament Question: UDAN routes and VGF

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 2564 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 16th March 2026 UDAN ROUTES AND VGF 2564. SHRI SAKET GOKHALE Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) the route-wise details of all UDAN routes awarded vs actually operationalized since inception, along with the date of commencement and discontinuation (where applicable); (b) the route-wise amount of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) released for routes that were later discontinued and whether any clawback/recovery was initiated; and (c) the audit mechanism used to verify whether UDAN-funded airport infrastructure is actually utilised as intended, including third-party audit reports that were placed in public domain? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a) & (b): Since the inception of the Regional Connectivity Scheme-Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS- UDAN) Scheme, 925 valid RCS routes have been awarded, out of which 663 routes have been operationalised as on 28.02.2026. So far, 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. 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. 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. (c) The 'Revival of unserved and underserved airports' scheme is subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. Additionally, implementing agencies such as the Airports Authority of India and State agencies conduct periodic internal audits as per their procedures. ******