
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu (image:x.com/RamMNK)
New Delhi: The Union Government has announced the launch of a modified UDAN Scheme, aiming to improve regional connectivity to 120 new destinations in the next 10 years.
This is in addition to the existing Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagarik (RCS-UDAN). Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu shared this in Parliament on Monday, July 28, while responding to a question from Rajya Sabha MP C V Shanmugam.
Airport infrastructure development is a continuous process, handled by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other operators, Minister said. These projects are undertaken based on land availability, commercial viability, socio-economic factors, traffic demand, and airline interest.
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The completion of airport projects depends on many factors. These include land acquisition, availability of mandatory clearances, and financial closure, among others.
The RCS-UDAN scheme, launched by the Government, aims to connect Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities by activating unserved and underserved airports. So far, 92 unserved and underserved airports, including 15 heliports and 2 water aerodromes are now operational, Minister stated.
“Further, the Government has also announced the launch of the modified UDAN Scheme to enhance regional connectivity to 120 new destinations in the next 10 years. The scheme will also support helipads and smaller airports in hilly, aspirational, and the North East region districts,” Naidu added.
The Minister has also detailed the efforts underway to make India the largest aviation hub in the world by 2030.
The National Civil Aviation Policy (2016) included various initiatives to promote the growth of the civil aviation sector in the country, including building international hubs.
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In addition, the Ministry has formulated a new International Aviation Hub Strategy also intends to make India an aviation hub of choice for Indian passengers by 2030 and a global aviation hub by 2047.
“The strategy leverages India’s geographical advantage and includes limiting foreign carriers while strengthening domestic ones, resulting in Indian carriers’ international traffic share increasing alongwith an increase in International-to-International traffic,” the Minister said.