New Delhi, December 4 (IANS). Under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) UDAN, 3.27 lakh flights have been flown and more than 157 lakh passengers have benefited from it. This information was given by the government on Thursday.
The government said that airports have been developed and started operating in Amravati and Solapur in Maharashtra in the financial year 2024-25.
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Muralidhar Mohol, in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, said that during the period from January 2024 to November 2025, 34 RCS routes have been operationalized in Maharashtra, connecting different airports across the country, including those located in tribal or backward districts.
According to the Union Minister, Viability Gap Funding (VGF) assistance and various concessions are provided under RCS to encourage participation of airline operators and ensure affordability.
“So far, an amount of Rs 4,352 crore has been spent to provide assistance in the form of VGF to selected airline operators under the scheme,” the Union Minister said.
The government monitors the utilization and performance of flight routes through parameters such as load factor, on-time performance, aircraft deployment and service stability, which are periodically reviewed through a structured monitoring mechanism.
Mohol said airports located in tribal or remote districts, including operational UDAN airports in Maharashtra, are regularly evaluated and routes meeting the prescribed performance criteria continue to receive support to ensure continuous and reliable regional air connectivity in such underserved areas.
The Union Minister said that today, UDAN is one of India’s most acclaimed achievements, which has infused prosperity into the social and economic fabric of the country. India’s civil aviation sector has grown faster than most global markets, placing the country among the top three domestic aviation markets worldwide.
Under the UDAN scheme, 649 routes have been launched connecting 93 unserved and underserved airports, including 15 heliports and 2 water airports.
–IANS
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