RCS-UDAN : New Airports
The Prime Minister inaugurated three airports under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN) in Rewa (Madhya Pradesh), Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh), and Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh).
- These airports aim to enhance air travel accessibility and will soon commence flights, furthering the mission of improving infrastructure in underserved regions.
- Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) was launched as a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016.
- The scheme connects remote areas, promoting tourism and economic growth, and has facilitated over 144 lakh passenger travels in its seven years.
- It supports last-mile connectivity and addresses unserved air routes.
- The first RCS-UDAN flight was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in 2017, connecting Shimla to Delhi.
- Versions of UDAN:
- UDAN 1.0: Awarded 128 flight routes to connect 70 airports (36 newly operational).
- UDAN 2.0: Inclusion of helipads for the first time.
- UDAN 3.0: Introduce seaplanes for water aerodromes, enhancing connectivity in the North-East Region.
- UDAN 4.0: Focused on North-Eastern regions, hilly states, and islands, facilitating operations for helicopters and seaplanes.
- UDAN 5.0: Prioritises Category-2 and Category-3 aircraft.
- UDAN 5.1: Boosts helicopter routes by increasing funding, lowering airfare caps, and requiring one destination to be a priority area.
- UDAN 5.2: Enhances last-mile connectivity with small aircraft, boosting tourism in remote areas.
- UDAN 5.3 and 5.4: To operationalize previously discontinued routes, further enhancing point-to-point air connectivity.
