Lok Sabha Question No. 1893 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-11
Subject: Performance under UDAN
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri Basavaraj Bommai, Shri Alok Sharma, Dr. Hemang Joshi, Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara, Dr. Bhola Singh, Shri Praveen Patel, Smt. Kriti Devi Debbarman, Shri Manoj Tiwari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 1893

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  11th December 2025 )

## PERFORMANCE UNDER UDAN

## 1893.    SHRI BASAVARAJ BOMMAI

SHRI ALOK SHARMA

DR. HEMANG JOSHI

DR. HEMANT VISHNU SAVARA

DR. BHOLA SINGH

SHRI PRAVEEN PATEL

SMT KRITI DEVI DEBBARMAN

SHRI MANOJ TIWARI

Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether the Government has ensured that the newly licensed airports like Navi Mumbai International  Airport  and  Jewar  Airport  are  integrated  into  the  Ude  Desh  ka  Aam  Nagrik (UDAN) network to boost Tier-2 connectivity without overloading metro hubs;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the assessment of operational success rates under the latest UDAN phases;
- (c)  the  new  measures,  if  any,  implemented/being  implemented  to  enforce  performance guarantees for the operators who delay operations;
- (d) the factors driving the ambition to increase the number of water aerodromes and heliports covered by UDAN in the country; and
- (e) whether there has been any progress on the proposal to establish a new airport in Palghar district  of  Maharashtra in view of recent developments such as the Wadhavan Port project and requests received from the State Government and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## Minister  of  State  in  the  Ministry  of  CIVIL  AVIATION            (Shri  Murlidhar Mohol)

(a) to (d):  The Regional Connectivity Scheme - Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) is a market driven scheme in which the unserved and underserved airstrips/airports are listed for bidding  by  airlines  to  provide  connectivity.  Navi  Mumbai  International  Airport  and  Noida International  (Jewar)  Airport  are  Greenfield  airports,  which  have  not  been  proposed  for inclusion in the list of unserved/underserved airports under the RCS-UDAN Scheme by the respective State Governments.

As  on  30/11/2025,  651  routes  have  been  operationalised,  connecting  93  unserved  and underserved airports, including 15 heliports and 2 water aerodromes across the nation. So far, over 1.57 crore domestic passengers have travelled on more than 3.27 lakh RCS flights. The scheme  is  monitored  on  a  regular  basis  to  review  the  progress  and  to  make  the  course corrections. Selected Airline Operators failing to commence operations within the stipulated timeline are issued show-cause notices, and in cases of wilful default, routes are cancelled with forfeiture of the Performance Guarantee/Proposal Security.

India's  extensive  coastline,  rivers,  and  inland  water  bodies  provide  significant  potential  for developing seaplane connectivity, while the remote and challenging terrain of the Himalayan and  North-eastern  States  amplifies  the  need  for  helicopter  connectivity.  Recognising  this potential,  the  Ministry  of  Civil  Aviation  (MoCA)  has  brought  the  helicopter  and  seaplane services under the UDAN scheme.

(e): Government of India (GoI) has formulated a Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008 for development  of  new  Greenfield  airports  in  the  country.  As  per  the  policy,  if  any  Airport developer including the State Government desires to develop an airport, they are required to identify a suitable site and get the Prefeasibility Study conducted and submit a proposal to the Central Government for 'Site Clearance' followed by 'In-Principle' approval.

No proposal either from the State Government concerned or any Airport Developer seeking 'Site  Clearance'  is  under  consideration  for  development  of  a  Greenfield  Airport  in  Palghar district of Maharashtra.

******