Lok Sabha Question No. 89 (STARRED), answered on 2026-02-05
Subject: Expansion of UDAN Scheme
Ministry: CIVIL AVIATION
Asked by: Shri Ummeda Ram Beniwal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. : 89

( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE  5th February 2026 )

## EXPANSION OF UDAN SCHEME

89.    SHRI UMMEDA RAM BENIWAL Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

- (a)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  expand  the  UDAN  scheme  to  cover  desert regions such as Barmer-Balotra and Jaisalmer which have immense tourism and trade potential and if so, the details thereof; and
- (b) whether similar coverage is being considered for backward and remote districts in States such as Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and North-Eastern States and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

Minister of CIVIL AVIATION                                   (Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu)

(a) to (b): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.;

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) & (B) IN RESPECT OF LOK  SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  89  FOR  REPLY  ON  05.02.2026 REGARDING  'EXPANSION  OF  UDAN  SCHEME'  ASKED  BY  SHRI  UMMEDA RAM BENIWAL.

(a) to (b): RCS-UDAN is a market driven scheme in which the unserved and underserved airstrips/airports are listed for bidding by airlines to provide connectivity. Bidding rounds are  conducted from time to time for covering more destinations and routes under the scheme. Based on their assessment of demand on particular routes, interested airlines submit their proposals at the time of bidding under UDAN. An airport which is included in the awarded routes of UDAN  and requires upgradation/development for commencement  of  UDAN  flights  is  taken  up  for  development  under  the  'Revival  of unserved/underserved airstrips' scheme.

As on 20.01.2026, a total of 657 routes have been operationalised, connecting 93 unserved and underserved airports, including 15 heliports and 2 water aerodromes carrying over 160 lakhs domestic passengers on more than 3.36 lakh RCS flights under the scheme.

Uterlai  airstrip  in  Barmer  district  of  Rajasthan,  owned  by  the  Indian  Air  Force  was identified under UDAN for development and operationalisation. Development of the civil enclave at Uterlai is contingent upon provision of suitable land by the State Government.

Jaisalmer  Airport  is  owned  by  the  IAF  and  operated  by  AAI.  It  was  identified  as  an underserved airport in the 1st round of bidding under UDAN and developed at a cost of Rs. 10.34 crore.

In  the  state  of  Odisha,  04  (four)  airports  namely  Jharsuguda,  Rourkela,  Utkela,  and Jeypore  have  already  been  developed  and  operationalised  under  the  UDAN  scheme. Additionally, the Rangeilunda, Amarda and Rairangpur (Dandabose) airstrips in Odisha have been identified for development to operationalise RCS flights.

In  the  state  of  Jharkhand,  6  (six)  airports  namely  Bokaro,  Dumka,  Jamshedpur, Hazaribagh, Deoghar and Daltonganj have been identified for development and operation of RCS flights.  Jamshedpur and Deoghar airports have already been operationalised. The development works at Bokaro and Dumka airports in Jharkhand have been completed and licensing is in progress.  The land for Hazaribagh airstrip  is yet to be provided by the State Government. The State Government has been requested to provide consent for the development of Daltonganj Airstrip.

In the State of Chhattisgarh three airports namely Jagdalpur, Ambikapur and Bilaspur were  identified  and  the  airports  have  been  developed  and  operationalised  under  the UDAN scheme.

A  total  of  90  routes  connecting  10  airports  namely  Pasighat,  Tezu,  Hollongi,  Jorhat, Lilabari, Rupsi, Tezpur, Dimapur, Shillong and Pakyong have been operationalised in NER under the  RCS  UDAN scheme.  In addition,  two  heliports,  namely  Jiribam  and Tamenglong, have also been operationalised under the scheme.

The Government has recently announced the launch of the modified UDAN Scheme to increase regional connectivity to 120 new destinations across the country, and to cater to 4 crore passengers in the next 10 years. The scheme will also support helipads and smaller airports in hilly, aspirational and North East region districts.

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