Question : Functional Airports under UDAN Scheme

(a) whether the Government has proposed any project to make all the existing airports in the country fully functional and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the names of the airports in Maharashtra which have been covered under UDAN scheme for its implementation;

(c) the provision being made by the Union Government so that the benefits of these airports may reach to more and more people;

(d) the number of airports/airstrips of Gujarat State being considered under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS);

(e) whether Union Government has floated tenders under the tripartite MoU entered among Government of Gujarat, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airports Authority of India, if so, the details thereof; and

(f) the type and capacity of aircraft likely to be deployed by the operators under RCS?

The Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION
(Shri Jayant Sinha)

(a): The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) launched Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme on 21-10-2016 for providing connectivity to un-served and under-served airports of the country. The primary objective of RCS is to facilitate / stimulate regional air connectivity by making it affordable.RCS-UDAN is a demand-driven scheme, where airline operators undertake assessment of demand on particular routes.;;

(b): Various routes from Kolhapur, Jalgaon and Sholapur airports in Maharashtra have been awarded to Selected Airline Operators in first round of bidding under RCS-UDAN. Following airports in Maharashtra have been included in the Scheme document for second round of bidding under RCS-UDAN:;
Akola, Amravati, Baramati ,Chandrapur, Darna Camp, Deolali, Dhulia, Gondia, Jalgaon, Jath, Kalyan, Karad, Kawalpur, Kolhapur, Kudal.;;

(c): Ministry of Civil Aviation has targeted an indicative airfare of Rs 2500 per passenger approximately, indexed to inflation, for a significant part of the capacity of the aircraft for a distance of 500kms to 600 kms. on RCS routes (equivalent to about one hour of flight). The cap for helicopters under RCS will be higher. The scheme will offer a flexible menu of options to the interested scheduled airline operators. Regional air connectivity is envisioned under RCS by supporting airline operators through (i) concessions by Central Government, State Governments and airport operators to reduce the cost of airline operations on regional routes and (ii) financial support (viability gap funding or VGF). VGF will be shared between Ministry of Civil Aviation and the State Government in the ration of 80:20 whereas for the States in North-Eastern region / Union Teritories (UT''s) the ratio will be 90:10.;;

(d): Various routes from Kandla, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Mithapur and Mundra airports in Gujarat have been awarded to Selected Airline Operators in first round of bidding under RCS-UDAN. Following airports in Gujarat have been included in the Scheme document for second round of bidding under RCS-UDAN:;
Kandla, Mithapur, Mundra, Porbandar, Amreli (Amroli), Chela, Chhand Bet, Drangadhara, Deesa (Palanpur), Keshod, Khambalia, Khavada, Limbdi, Mandvi, Mehsana, Morvi, Naliya, Parsoli, Radhanpur, Wadhwan, Wankaner.;;

(e): As per the RCS Scheme, certain concessions / support are required to be provided by the State Governments at RCS airports within their states. For this purpose MoU has been signed among MoCA, Government of Gujarat and Airports Authority of India. Various routes from Kandla, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Mithapur and Mundra airports in Gujarat have been awarded to Selected Airline Operators in first round of bidding under RCS-UDAN.;;

(f): As such there is no restriction in type and capacity of aircraft to be deployed under RCS-UDAN. Bidders are free to induct capacity with any aircraft type.