The Modi government launched the UDAN program in 2016 (representation)
New Delhi:
A total of 78 additional routes will be allocated under the fourth cycle of the Udan regional connectivity program, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.
Under the Udan program, financial incentives from the Center, state governments and airport operators are extended to certain airlines to encourage operations from unserved and underserved airports, and keep airfares affordable. .
Mr Puri said on Twitter: “UDAN 4.0 is ready. Seventy-eight additional routes have now been approved, bringing the total number of sanctioned roads to 766.”
“Eighteen unserved / underserved airports would be connected to metropolitan cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Kochi, etc.,” he added.
The Modi government launched the Udan program in 2016 to improve regional connectivity.
At least half of the seats on flights to Udan are offered at subsidized rates, and participating carriers receive a certain amount of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) – an amount shared between the Center and the relevant state.
The minister said the aforementioned 78 “unique” routes have been “finalized for allocation” and that this will result in “an approximately monthly VGF output of Rs 15 crore”.
Mr Puri said: “The economic and tourism opportunities that these flights will offer to the regions will contribute to the achievement of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
The minister also said that the Bilaspur-Bhopal route had been assigned to Alliance Air and that flight services on this route would start shortly.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
