Good news for flyers! India to get more routes under UDAN. To improve domestic connectivity as well as make flying more affordable, the Civil Aviation Ministry has invited bids for around 392 routes under the regional air connectivity scheme- UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik). Under the UDAN scheme, which will complete four years this year, till now, as many as 325 routes, as well as 56 airports, have been operationalized. These include two water aerodromes and five heliports, according to a PTI report. On Sunday, the ministry issued a statement saying that on the commencement of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, nearly 392 routes have been proposed under the bidding process of UDAN 4.1.
According to the statement, the UDAN 4.1 round focuses on linking smaller airports in India, along with special helicopter as well as seaplane routes. Besides, in consultation with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, some new routes have also been proposed under the Sagaramala Seaplane Services. It is expected that the latest bidding process will be completed in six weeks. To ensure suitable operation models to link smaller cities or airstrips, some operational flexibilities will be extended to airlines under the UDAN 4.1, the ministry said.
Also, according to the report, operations under Non-Scheduled Operator’s Permit (NSOP) will be allowed for fixed-wing aircraft, seaplanes as well as helicopters under the latest round. A joint secretary at the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Usha Padhee, was quoted in the report saying that the special UDAN 4.1 bidding round invites bids for priority air routes which till now, have not been covered under the regional air connectivity scheme- UDAN. She further said that UDAN 4.1 bidding round also includes routes that are specially requested by the state governments and UT administrations and also the routes which were earlier cancelled or terminated. The ministry has observed great demand on many Tier 2 and Tier 3 UDAN routes, added.