UDAN Scheme Completes 10 Years: 687 Routes Operational, Modified Phase Gets ₹28,840 Crore Outlay

Key facts

• The Ministry of Civil Aviation's (MoCA) Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), launched on October 21, 2016, completed 10 years in 2026.
• As of October 2026, UDAN has operationalised 687 regional routes and 95 aerodromes, including 17 heliports and two water aerodromes, with over 3.68 lakh flights and 1.72 crore passengers facilitated.
• Viability Gap Funding (VGF) of ₹5,091.23 crore has been disbursed under the scheme as of October 15, 2026.
• The modified phase of UDAN, formally launched on July 4, 2026, has an outlay of ₹28,840 crore for implementation from FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36.
• Modified UDAN allocates ₹12,159 crore for developing 100 airports over eight years, ₹2,577 crore for operation and maintenance support to about 441 aerodromes, ₹3,661 crore for 200 modern helipads over eight years, and ₹10,043 crore for airline viability support over 10 years.
• The modified scheme proposes ₹400 crore for acquiring two HAL Dhruv helicopters for Pawan Hans and two HAL Dornier aircraft for Alliance Air, aligning with the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
• Under the modified scheme, VGF for eligible regional routes is available for up to five years, financial support tapers from the third year, and route exclusivity is limited to three years.
• Twenty-one memoranda of understanding have been signed between the government, participating States and Union Territories, and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and a dedicated Challenge Mode Portal will allow States and UTs to nominate airstrips and helipads for development.
• In the North-Eastern region, 90 priority RCS routes have been operationalised, 52 aerodromes identified, and 12 of them operationalised.
• Purnea Airport in Bihar, operationalised in 2025, has a runway of about 2.8 km capable of handling aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737, and extends air access to more than 10 districts.
• Tezu Airport in Arunachal Pradesh, operationalised in 2021, provides air access to over two lakh people and has reduced travel time to Guwahati to about one hour.
• Deoghar Airport in Jharkhand began operations in July 2022, reducing travel time between Delhi and Deoghar to approximately two hours.
• Aviation sector employment increased from about three million in 2014 to nearly 7.7 million in 2026, with the Ministry projecting a potential of 25 million by 2040.