Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first regional flight under the Ude Deshka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme which takes off on Thursday between Shimla and Delhi. The scheme is intended to provide air connectivity in the smaller cities and towns of India at affordable prices.
Modi will also unveil flights on the Kadapa-Hyderabad and Nanded-Hyderabad routes on the same day.
The UDAN scheme was launched by the civil aviation ministry in October 2016 and is one of the key components of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP), Under the scheme, the cap on one-hour flights along major routes stands at Rs 2,500 per seat. The discounted fares would be applicable on 50 percent of the seats on each flight.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which is also the implementing agency, earlier received 27 proposals in the first round of bidding for 70 served, underserved and unserved airports, the civil aviation ministry had said on March 30. Five airlines, SpiceJet Ltd., Air India Ltd.'s subsidiary Alliance Air, Turbo Megha, Air Deccan, and Air Odisha, had won bids to operate on 45 routes for the next three years on served and underserved routes.
The government plans to add 128 destinations under the scheme. It will provide Rs 205 crore as viable gap funding in the first phase to support the scheme, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha had said.
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