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Dimapur, Aug. 18 (EMN): A total of 425 new air routes has been initiated under the UDAN (Ude Deshka Aam Nagrik) scheme since the launch of it first flight on April 27, 2017, and more than one crore passengers flown since the inception of the scheme.
In the last five years, UDAN has significantly increased the regional air connectivity in the country. There were 74 operational airports in 2014 but under the UDAN scheme the number has increased to 141 by now as per Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M Scindia.
Scindia said that with 68 underserved/ unserved destinations which included 58 airports, eight heliports and two water aerodromes have been connected under UDAN scheme aiming to touch 100 airports and with 425 new routes initiated under the scheme adding it has provided air connectivity to more than 29 states/ UTs across the length and breadth of the country.
According to the minister of Civil Aviation, 220 destinations (airports/ heliports/ water aerodromes) under UDAN were targeted to be completed by 2026 with 1000 routes to provide air connectivity to unconnected destinations in the country and out of which 954 routes have already been awarded to connect 156 airports.
As per Northeast state-wise details of RCS routes and airports operationalised under UDAN, Assam lead the pact with 30 regional connectivity scheme (RCS) routes that consist of four operationalised RCS airports in Jorhat, Lilabari, Tezpur, and Rupsi, followed by Meghalaya with 14 RCS routes which has one RCS airports in Shillong and Nagaland at third position with eight RCS routes and one operationalised RCS airport in Dimapur.
While Sikkim has six RCS Routes and one RCS airports in Pakyong and the remaining states like Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura has no RCS airport so far but has RCS Routes in which Manipur and Tripura has six each RCS Routes and Mizoram has two RCS Routes.
The scheme was initiated on October 21, 2016, with the objective to fulfill the aspirations of the common citizen by following the vision of ‘Ude Deshka Aam Nagrik’, with an enhanced aviation infrastructure and air connectivity in tier II and tier III cities.