UDAN scheme: Kargil, Darbhanga and Pakyong will now get direct flights, details inside

The government on Wednesday awarded contracts to 15 companies to operate direct flight and chopper services to destinations like Kargil, Darbhanga, Pakyong (Gangtok), Cooch Behar, Jorhat and Almora among others under the second phase of Prime Minister's ambitious UDAN scheme. 

UDAN is a regional airport development and "Regional Connectivity Scheme" of Government, with the objective of "Let the common citizen of the country fly", aimed at making air travel affordable for layman.  

Under the second round, state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI), the implementing agency of the scheme, issued "Letter of Awards" for 90 proposals involving around 325 regional connectivity routes.

Eleven fixed-wing operators have been granted rights for 67 routes and four helicopter operators have been awarded 23 routes, an official of the Civil Aviation Ministry said at a press briefing here.

Among the major domestic carriers, IndiGo has bagged 20 proposals, SpiceJet got 17 while Jet Airways won 4 proposals.
The second round of UDAN is expected to connect 43 airports and helipads in "priority sector", which includes the north-eastern and hill states, the official said.

The government will spend Rs 620 crores in providing viability gap funding or subsidy to airlines and helicopter operators for RCS flights.

"Udan-II has addressed the problem of [air connectivity in the] difficult areas [which are] basically areas with hilly tracks, where road connectivity is low or probably has no train connectivity," Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapati Raju said at an event held.

"... We will connect 29 unserved airports, 13 underserved airports to 36 served airports and 31 helipads. This is the first time that helicopter [services] are coming under Udan," he added.

The government will have to foot an annual bill of Rs 6.6 crore just for the first sector under Udan (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) regional connectivity scheme on the Delhi-Shimla route that took off last week.

This is apart from the exemption from airport charges, fuel and other taxes.

Alliance Air, which has been allotted the route, has chosen ATR42 type aircraft due to regulatory and safety restrictions of flying to Shimla.