Only 651 of 923 UDAN routes operational, 123 shut before term: Govt tells Parliament

Of the 923 UDAN scheme routes awarded till date, only 651 have been operationalised, and 123 did not complete their three-year term, the government has told the Parliament.

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has cited disruption caused by COVID-19 pandemic, aircraft shortage, supply chain issues, aircraft maintenance, airport/runway maintenance and low passenger demand on some routes, among other key reasons for discontinuation of routes before the term.

“As on date, fourteen Airports are non-operational under the UDAN Scheme due to factors such as completion of the three-year concession period, poor visibility conditions, daytime runway restrictions at VFR-only airports, shortage of aircraft, leasing issues, temporary discontinuation by airlines, novation of routes, and low passenger load factors”, Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of State, Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a written response in the Upper House.

The government's responsee comes at a time when IndiGo continued to reel with a shortage of pilots and its failure to implement the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules. Monday marked the seventh consecutive day of massive disruptions in IndiGo's flight operations.

Launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation on 21 October, 2016 UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) Scheme, is aimed at making air travel affordable and accessible for common citizens by connecting small towns and underserved regions, boosting economic growth and regional development through a market-driven approach with government subsidies for airlines on specific routes.

The first UDAN flight operated between Shimla and Delhi on April 27, 2017. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, since its launch, the UDAN scheme has significantly boosted regional connectivity across India.

What was the question?

Rajya Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan had asked Union Minister of Civil Aviation a response to four questions. She asked (a) details of all regional connectivity routes awarded under UDAN till 31 October, 2025, State/UT-wise; (b) details of all regional connectivity routes currently fully operational under UDAN, State/UT-wise; (c) details of the number of UDAN routes closed prematurely along with the reasons for closure, State/UT-wise; (d) the number of airports developed under UDAN that have no regular flights at present; and (e) the steps taken to address these gaps and improve the viability of UDAN routes?

In response, Murlidhar Mohol, MoS, Ministry of Civil Aviation, shared a state-wise list of awarded, operationalised and discontinued routes under the Regional Connectivity Scheme – UDAN.

The response cited disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, aircraft shortages, supply chain issues, aircraft maintenance, airport/runway maintenance, and low passenger demand on some routes as key reasons for the discontinuation of routes before the 3-year tenure.

To ensure uninterrupted flight operations on these routes, the government provides viability gap funding (VGF) to airlines, supports the upgrading of regional airports, and encourages operational flexibility, the Ministry stated in its response.

“Further, routes that were discontinued in the past rounds are also rebid, awarded and operationalised in subsequent rounds. Moreover, steps such as increased adoption of technologies like Special Visual Flight Rules and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) standards at feasible airports for all-weather operations have also been taken,” it said.

UP got the highest awards

Uttar Pradesh saw the maximum (96) number of awarded routes, of which 57 are operationalised, and 20 have been discontinued.

Uttarakhand had 81 awarded routes, of which 60 have been operationalised, while 16 were discontinued. In Maharashtra, of the 75 awarded routes, 65 have been operationalised and 4 discontinued, as per the response.