Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN)/Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)

UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) is a Regional Airport Development and “Regional Connectivity Scheme” (RCS) of Government of India, with the objective of “letting the common citizen of the country fly”, aimed at making air travel affordable and widespread, to boost inclusive national economic development, job growth and air transport infrastructure development of all regions and states of India.

Need

• India is the world’s third-largest market in the aviation sector. As per a study by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, 65 per cent air connectivity and 61per cent traffic is focused only in the six metros. Thus, there is an urgent need to reduce these regional disparities.

Performance

• Till date, out of 948 valid routes, 403 routes involving 65 airports (including 8 heliports & 2 water aerodromes) have been operationalised across the country under UDAN.
• Approximately 86.05 lakhs passengers have travelled on UDAN flights since its commencement till 09.01.2022.
• UDAN has transformed the way people travel in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. Regional airports like Jharsuguda, Kishangarh, Belgaum, Darbhanga, etc. have been witnessing exponential growth in air traffic.
• UDAN scheme has sparked significant increase in helicopter services in hilly areas and islands through use of heliports.
• The linkage between the Civil Aviation Sector and Economic Growth is well recognized. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) study shows that the air connectivity has an economic multiplier of 3.1 and employment multiplier of 6.1.

Issues and Challenges

• Shorter airport runways in many Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities
• Short take-offs and landings
• Balance sheet of Indian airlines is severely affected due to volatility of external factors
• Long gestation period to turn a green field airport into a viable and self-sustaining airport
• Managing air traffic in backdrop of stagnant number of runways in high traffic airports

Possibilities and Prospects

• Fast track the new International Air Connectivity Scheme (also termed International UDAN) which proposes to connect India’s smaller cities directly to key foreign destinations. This will address the issue of connectivity and promote development of smaller cities through tourism and investment and implementation of UDAN 4 effectively.
• Shift from the current point-to-point service to a hub and spoke design that connects large airports with new UDAN routes to ensure sustained passenger traffic throughout the year.