UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), the Regional Connectivity Scheme, completes ten years on 21 October 2026. It has opened 687 regional routes and 95 aerodromes, including 17 heliports and 2 water aerodromes, and carried 1.72 crore passengers. Its next phase, the Modified UDAN Scheme, runs from 2026-27 to 2035-36 with an outlay of ₹28,840 crore.
Exam concepts
Origin: UDAN came out of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), 2016. It was launched on 21 October 2016.
Ministry and implementing agency: The scheme is run by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is the implementing agency.
First flight: Shimla to Delhi, April 2017.
How it works:
- Market-based selection: airlines bid for unserved and underserved routes.
- Airfare cap on a share of seats on each flight.
- Viability Gap Funding (VGF): the Centre pays airlines to cover the gap between their operating cost and fare revenue on these routes. Airlines bid for the VGF per seat, and it is capped.
- Concessions from the Centre, States and airport operators.
Modified UDAN (launched 4 July 2026), ₹28,840 crore over 2026-27 to 2035-36:
- ₹12,159 crore to build 100 airports from unserved airstrips
- ₹10,043 crore VGF for airlines. Support lasts up to 5 years and tapers from year 3. Route exclusivity is limited to 3 years.
- ₹3,661 crore for 200 modern helipads
- ₹2,577 crore for 3 years of operation and maintenance support to about 441 aerodromes
- ₹400 crore for indigenous aircraft: 2 HAL Dhruv helicopters for Pawan Hans and 2 HAL Dornier aircraft for Alliance Air
Under Modified UDAN, 21 MoUs were signed between MoCA, the States/UTs and AAI. A Challenge Mode Portal lets States and UTs nominate airstrips and helipads for development.
Why it can be asked
Regional connectivity and infrastructure financing through VGF are GS-3 topics. The launch date, parent policy, ministry and implementing agency are easy Prelims points.
Key facts for quick revision
- Launched 21 October 2016 under NCAP 2016. MoCA runs the scheme and AAI implements it.
- First flight: Shimla–Delhi, April 2017.
- 687 routes, 95 aerodromes (17 heliports, 2 water aerodromes), over 3.68 lakh flights, 1.72 crore passengers.
- VGF disbursed: ₹5,091.23 crore (as of 15 October 2026).
- Operational airports: 74 in 2014, 166 now. India is the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market.
- North-East: 90 priority routes operational. 12 of 52 identified aerodromes are working.
- Modified UDAN: ₹28,840 crore, FY 2026-27 to 2035-36.
