The government is looking to operationalise 12 new airports across eight states and Union Territories this year under the regional air connectivity scheme, including one at Shibpur in Car Nicobar.
In a written statement to the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol explained that UDAN is an ongoing initiative with periodic bidding rounds to expand coverage to more destinations and routes.
“Revival/upgradation of unserved and underserved airports is undertaken upon its identification through valid bid and award to the Selected Airline Operator,” he said.
12 more airports to get recognised under UDAN
This year, airports in Shibpur (Car Nicobar), Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh), Rewa and Datia (Madhya Pradesh), Amravati and Solapur (Maharashtra), Daman (Daman & Diu), Ambala (Haryana), Moradabad and Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Vellore and Neyveli (Tamil Nadu) are expected to be operationalised.
For the revival and development of these airports, heliports, and water aerodromes, Rs 4,500 crore was allocated in Phase I and Rs 1,000 crore in Phase II of the scheme. As of June 30, 2024, an expenditure of Rs 4,073 crore has been incurred under Phase I.
“An expenditure of Rs 4,073 crore. has been incurred for revival/development of airports under Phase I as on 30.06.2024,” the minister said.
579 routes and 85 airports covered by UDAN
Currently, the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, which began in 2016, has established 579 routes connecting 85 airports, including 13 heliports and 2 water aerodromes.