Lok Sabha Question No. 390 (STARRED), answered on 2026-03-19
Subject: Flights between Smaller Cities
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri Ajay Bhatt

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. : 390

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  19th March 2026 )

## FLIGHTS BETWEEN SMALLER CITIES

390.    SHRI AJAY BHATT Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  commence  flights  between  smaller cities across the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the air services being provided and proposed between smaller cities across the country, State-wise including Uttarakhand; and
- (c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  develop  air  service  circuits  among cities of religious importance and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

Minister of CIVIL AVIATION                      (Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu) (a) to (c): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

******

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (C) IN RESPECT  OF  LOK  SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  390  FOR ANSWER ON 19.03.2026 REGARDING "FLIGHTS BETWEEN SMALLER CITIES" ASKED BY SHRI AJAY BHATT.

(a) to (c): The Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the Regional Connectivity Scheme  -  Ude  Desh  ka  Aam  Nagrik  (RCS-UDAN)  on  October  21,  2016,  to facilitate  regional  air  connectivity  by  reviving  unserved  and  underserved airports in Tier-2 & Tier-3 cities. As on 28.02.2026, 663 number of RCS routes have  been  operationalised  under  the  scheme,  connecting  95  unserved  and underserved airports, including 17 heliports and 2 water aerodromes across the country.  The  state-wise  connectivity  of  flight  routes,  as  per  DGCA  Winter Schedule 2025 is placed at Annexure. With the repeal of the Air Corporations Act in March 1994, the Indian domestic aviation sector was fully deregulated. Airlines are free to induct capacity with any type of aircraft and to determine the markets and routes they wish to serve. However, such operations are subject to compliance with the Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDGs)  issued  by the Government, slot allocation by the respective airport operators and approval of flight schedules by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Further, the Government has announced the launch of the modified UDAN Scheme to increase  regional  connectivity  to  120  new  destinations  across  the  country including the State of Uttrakhand to cater to 4 crore passengers over the next 10 years.  The  scheme  will  also  support  helipads  and  smaller  airports  in  hilly, aspirational, and North East region districts.  Under the UDAN Scheme (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), several airports located near major religious destinations have  been  developed  and  operationalised  to  enhance  air  connectivity  for pilgrims.

## Annexure

## State Wise Air Connectivity - Winter Schedule 2025

| Sl. No. State &Union Territories   | Sl. No. State &Union Territories                  | Names of Cities Air linked                                                                                          | No of Airports   |
|------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------|
| States                             | States                                            | States                                                                                                              | States           |
| 1                                  | Andhra Pradesh                                    | Cuddapah, Kurnool, Rajamundry, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Vizag,                                                         | 6                |
| 2                                  | Arunachal Pradesh Hollongi ,Pasighat, Tezu, Ziro, |                                                                                                                     | 4                |
| 3                                  | Assam                                             | Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Lilabari, Silchar, Rupsi                                                               | 6                |
| 4                                  | Bihar                                             | Darbhanga ,Gaya, Patna, Purnia                                                                                      | 4                |
| 5                                  | Chhattisgarh                                      | Ambikapur, Bilaspur, Jagdalpur, , Raipur                                                                            | 4                |
| 6                                  | Delhi                                             | Delhi                                                                                                               | 1                |
| 7                                  | Goa                                               | Goa , Mopa (new Goa)                                                                                                | 2                |
| 8                                  | Gujarat                                           | Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Hirasar, Jamnagar, Kandla, Keshod, Porbandar, Surat, Vadodara,                                     | 9                |
| 9                                  | Haryana                                           | Hisar                                                                                                               | 1                |
| 10                                 | Himachal Pradesh                                  | Dharamshala, Kullu, Shimla                                                                                          | 3                |
| 11                                 | Jharkhand                                         | Deoghar, Jamshedpur, Ranchi                                                                                         | 3                |
| 12                                 | Karnataka                                         | Bangalore, Belgaum, Bidar, Hubli, Gulbarga, Mangalore, Mysore, Shivmoga, Vidyanagar                                 | 9                |
| 13                                 | Kerala                                            | Cochin, Kannur, Kozhikode, Trivandrum                                                                               | 4                |
| 14                                 | Madhya Pradesh                                    | Bhopal, Datia, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Khajurao, Rewa                                                            | 7                |
| 15                                 | Maharashtra                                       | Amravati, Aurangabad, Gondia, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nanded , Nashik, Pune, Shirdi, Sindhudurg, Solapur | 13               |
| 16                                 | Manipur                                           | Imphal                                                                                                              | 1                |
| 17                                 | Meghalaya                                         | Shillong                                                                                                            | 1                |
| 18                                 | Mizoram                                           | Aizwal                                                                                                              | 1                |
| 19                                 | Nagaland                                          | Dimapur                                                                                                             | 1                |
| 20                                 | Orissa                                            | Bhubaneswar, Jeypore, Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Utkela                                                                  | 5                |
| 21                                 | Punjab                                            | Amritsar, Bhatinda, Jalandhar                                                                                       | 3                |
| 22                                 | Rajasthan                                         | Bikaner, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, Udaipur                                                            | 6                |
| 23                                 | Sikkim                                            | -                                                                                                                   |                  |
| 24                                 | Tamil Nadu                                        | Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem,                                                                                | 6                |

|                                                           |                                                           | Trichy, Tuticorin,                                                               |                   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|
| 25                                                        | Telangana                                                 | Hyderabad                                                                        | 1                 |
| 26                                                        | Tripura                                                   | Agartala                                                                         | 1                 |
| 27                                                        | Uttar Pradesh                                             | Agra, Ayodhya, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Hindon, Kanpur, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi | 9                 |
| 28                                                        | Uttarakhand                                               | Dehradun, Pant Nagar, Pithoragarh                                                | 3                 |
| 29                                                        | West Bengal                                               | Bagdogra, CoochBehar, Durgapur, Kolkata                                          | 4                 |
| Union Territories                                         | Union Territories                                         | Union Territories                                                                | Union Territories |
| 1                                                         | Andaman& Nicobar Islands                                  | Port Blair                                                                       | 1                 |
| 2                                                         | Lakshadweep Islands                                       | Agatti                                                                           | 1                 |
| 3                                                         | Chandigarh                                                | Chandigarh                                                                       | 1                 |
| 4                                                         | Dadra &Nagar Haveli                                       | -                                                                                |                   |
| 5                                                         | Daman &Diu                                                | Diu                                                                              | 1                 |
| 6                                                         | Pondicherry                                               | Pondicherry                                                                      | 1                 |
| 7                                                         | Jammu &Kashmir                                            | Jammu, Srinagar                                                                  | 2                 |
| 8                                                         | Ladakh                                                    | Leh,                                                                             | 1                 |
| Number of cities connected by Scheduled domestic carriers | Number of cities connected by Scheduled domestic carriers | Number of cities connected by Scheduled domestic carriers                        | 126               |