Context: The Centre has launched the next phase of its flagship UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme. UDAN 5.5 intends to promote last-mile connectivity in remote regions, hilly areas, and island territories.
Relevance of the Topic:Prelims: Key facts about UDAN Scheme.
About UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) Scheme:
- Launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation for regional airport development and regional connectivity enhancement. It is a part of the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016.
- Objectives:
- To improve the air connectivity to remote and regional areas of India.
- To make flights accessible and affordable in tier-2 and tier-3 towns.
Key Features of UDAN scheme:
- Under the scheme, airlines have to cap airfares for 50% of the total seats at Rs. 2,500per hour of flight. This would be achieved through:
- A financial stimulus in the form of concessions from Central and State governments and airport operators.
- Viability Gap Funding (VGF): A government grant provided to the airlines to bridge the gap between the cost of operations and expected revenue.
- Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF): created to meet the viability gap funding requirements under the scheme.
- The partner State Governments would contribute a 20% share to this fund.
- UTs and NER states shall contribute only 10%.
- UDAN created a framework based on the need and led to the formulation of:
- Lifeline UDAN: for transportation of medical cargo during pandemic.
- Krishi UDAN: value realization of agriculture products especially in Northeastern Region {NER} and tribal districts.
- International UDAN routes for NER to explore International Connectivity from/to Guwahati and Imphal.
Previous Phases of the Scheme
- Phase 1:
- Launched in 2017
- Objective: Connect underserved and unserved airports in the country.
- Phase 2:
- Launched in 2018
- Aim: Expand air connectivity to more remote and inaccessible parts of the country.
- Phase 3:
- Launched in November 2018
- Focus: Enhancing air connectivity to hilly and remote regions of the country.
- Phase 4:
- Launched in December 2019
- Focus: Connecting islands and other remote areas of the country.
- Phase 5:
- Launched in 2023
- Focus on Category-2 (20-80 seats) and Category-3 (>80 seats) aircrafts.
- No restriction on the distance between the origin and the destination of the flight.
- VGF to be provided will be capped at 600 km stage length for both Priority and Non-Priority area.
- Earlier capped at 500 km.
The Latest phase: UDAN 5.5
- UDAN 5.5 intends to promote last-mile connectivity in remote regions, hilly areas, and island territories.
- Focus: Routes that will be serviced exclusively with sea-planes, choppers, and small aircraft with a seating capacity of less than 20 passengers.
- Operators will get a chance to chart seaplane routes between 80 water bodies, which include waterdromes, ponds, and dams.
- Around 400 helipads are also included in the scheme for operators to map out chopper routes.
- Allows the participation of operators of aircraft in categories such as:
- Category ‘1A’: seat less than nine passengers.
- Category ‘1’: less than 20 passengers.
Achievements under UDAN Scheme:
- Expanded air connectivity:
- UDAN has provided air connectivity to more than 29 States/ UTs across the country.
- It has provided a fair amount of air connectivity to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities at affordable airfares and has transformed the way travelling was done earlier.
- Facilitated the travel of around 1.5 crore passengers across more than 2.8 lakh flights.
- Increased routes:
- Operationalised 619 routes, including helicopter routes.
- Increasing airports:
- The number of operational airports in the country has doubled from 74 in 2014 to more than 157 in 2024.
- Reaching the last-mile:
- 68 underserved/unserved destinations which include 58 Airports, 8 Heliports & 2 Water Aerodromes have been connected under UDAN scheme.
- The new scheme has attracted players who want to start seaplane services across the Andaman and Nicobar island chain, among other potential routes.
Scope for further development under UDAN:
- Present Situation:
- At present, there are no seaplane services in India.
- The number of small aircraft in the A1 category number is less than 20.
- Over the next five years, Industry estimates forecast:
- Creation of over 50 seaplane routes
- Development of around 20-25 aerodromes
- Requirement of around 30 aircrafts.