UDAN Scheme: UDAN scheme will be extended for 10 years, will extend to helicopter service and seaplane.

New Delhi: The UDAN scheme, launched on October 21, 2016 to connect small towns and common people through air travel, will now be extended for 10 years. Under this scheme, 601 air routes of the country have been connected and so far 1.44 crore passengers have traveled in 2.84 lakh flights. The first take-off under the UDAN scheme was from Shimla to Delhi on 27 April 2017. Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said that in future the UDAN scheme will be further expanded to helicopter service and sea-plane. A demo of this will be done in November, in which demo of many companies will be seen to increase the seaplane scheme in the country. After this, some water routes will be decided in the country, where seaplanes will operate. Similarly, connectivity of helicopter service will also be increased. Sources said that so far 601 air routes have been connected under the UDAN service.

Some of these routes had to be closed. In view of all this, at present around 400 air routes are working under UDAN scheme. Regarding the almost closure of air service from Hindon airbase, the ministry has informed that some technical problem is being faced here. Passenger flight movement is going on from this second airport within a radius of 100 kilometers from Delhi. It is expected that in the coming time, more and more flights will be able to take off from Hindon Airport under UDAN.

Darbhanga airport was a superhit

Union Minister Naidu was asked about there being less flights as per the demand and higher air fares at Darbhanga Airport in Bihar. In response, the Union Minister said that under the UDAN scheme, which started with two flights, currently there is a movement of 70 flights every week at Darbhanga Airport. This airport was a superhit in this scheme. To meet the greater demand coming from here, work is being done to increase the size of the airport. Due to more flights, air fares will also reduce.

Civil Aviation Secretary Wumlunmang Wualnam said the ministry has commissioned 86 aerodromes under the scheme, including 71 airports, 13 heliports and 2 water aerodromes, which has facilitated the travel of more than 1.44 crore passengers on more than 2.8 lakh flights. .