Question : Air Services from Small Cities

(a) whether the Government has completed the process to start air services from small cities of the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof including Chhattisgarh;

(c) the time by which Jagdalpur, Ambikapur and Bilaspur Chakarbhata airports which have been connected with air services are likely to be started; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

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

(a) to (d): Government has launched Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) on 21.10.2016 to facilitate/stimulate regional air connectivity by making it affordable. RCS - UDAN is market driven mechanism. Development of regional air connectivity routes is left to market forces and airlines undertake assessment of demand and nature of supply required on particular routes and lead the process under RCS - UDAN. The Scheme is valid for a period of 10 years. The Implementing Agency conducts the bidding from time to time during the currency of the scheme. After first round of bidding under RCS - UDAN, following routes in Chhattisgarh were awarded to Selected Airline Operator (SAO):;

i) Raipur - Bilaspur;

ii) Bilaspur - Ambikapur ;

iii) Ambikapur - Bilaspur ;

iv) Bilaspur - Raipur ;

v) Raipur - Jharsuguda;

vi) Jharsuguda - Raipur;

vii) Raipur - Raigarh;

viii) Raigarh - Raipur;

ix) Raipur - Jagdalpur;

x) Jagdalpur - Vishakhapatnam;

xi) Vishakhapatnam - Jagdalpur;

xii) Jagdalpur - Raipur ;
;

Same were terminated by the Implementing Agency on account of non-compliance of SAO Agreement. In the subsequent rounds, Implementing Agency has rebid the routes and following routes have been awarded to the SAOs:;

i) Jagdalpur to Bhubaneswar;

ii) Jagdalpur to Hyderabad;

iii) Jagdalpur to Raipur;

iv) Jagdalpur to Vishakhapatnam;;

No valid bid was received to operate RCS flights from Bilaspur & Ambikapur. If and when valid bid is received in future rounds of RCS-UDAN, same shall be considered as per scheme document. The SAOs are obligated to commence RCS flight operations on a RCS-route, as part of individual route-proposal or a network proposal within a period of 180 days from the issuance of Letter of Award unless any extension is granted by the Implementing Agency depending upon the readiness of airports/heliports, infrastructure requirements etc..