Question : UDAN-RCS

(a) the proposal of the Government in detail to set up and run airports and UDAN-RCS in the country and the present status and connectivity details of existing airports under the scheme;

(b) whether the Government has only one flying training institute Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademi (IGRUA) for Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) with very limited seats therein and if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the trainees are completing minimum flying hours to get certification therefor and if so, the details along with the last seven years placement records thereof; and

(d) the details of the plan of Government to generate more employment in the civil aviation sector of the country during the next five years?

The Minister of State (IC) in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION
(Shri Hardeep Singh Puri)

(a) Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme on 21-10-2016 to facilitate / stimulate regional air connectivity and make air travel affordable to the masses. Promoting affordability of regional air connectivity is envisioned under RCS - UDAN 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) to meet the gap,if any, between the cost of airline operations and expected revenues on regional routes. The interested airlines based on their assessment of demand on particular routes submit proposals at the time of bidding under RCS - UDAN from time to time. Under RCS-UDAN version 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0, 106 airports/waterdromes (76 Unserved, 20 Underserved and 10 waterdromes) and 31 heliports have been awarded. List of such airports/waterdromes and heliports are at Annexure A and B respectively. Out of these, 39 RCS - UDAN Airports (16 underserved & 23 unserved) have been revived/developed for operationalization of RCS flights. The list of these airports is at Annexure C.

(b) No Sir, there is one Central Government Flying Training Institute, viz. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Akademi (IGRUA). In addition eight State Governments have their own Flying Training Institutes. List of Government Flying Training Institutes along with their Training capacity is at Annexure D.

(c) DGCA issues licenses after complying the requirement laid down in Schedule - II of Aircraft Rule 1937. However DGCA is not maintaining placement records for any of the Flying Training Institutes. As far as IGRUA is concerned, trainees at IGRUA are completing minimum 200 hours of flying to get certification / CPL by DGCA. The details of placement for last seven years at IGRUA is at Annexure E.;

(d) The roadmap for holistic development of the civil aviation sector has been embodied in the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016. It intrinsically recognizes the multiplier effects of the aviation sector on the national economy. As per an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) study - "Economic benefits of civil aviation: ripples of prosperity", the output and employment multipliers of aviation are 3.25 and 6.10 respectively.