REGISTRATIONS UNDER UDAN

For providing air connectivity to unserved and underserved airports as well as to make air travel more affordable to the masses, ‘Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik’ (UDAN) was launched recently. With the domestic aviation sector on the upswing, the government today said the regional connectivity scheme has got off to a very strong start and the bidding under UDAN has already seen as many as 20 registrations from air operator permit holders by mid-November, Civil Aviation Secretary R.N. Choubey said. Besides, the government is working on ways to increase capacity at airports to cater to rising demand as the domestic aviation sector has been growing at over 20 per cent for the past many months. Under the scheme, fares would be capped at ` 2,500 for one-hour flights while various incentives would also be provided to the airline operators. Regional air connectivity, ensuring air travel is comfortable and convenient and expanding capacity of airports are the priorities, he added. Domestic aviation sector is expected to see more than 20 per cent growth in the next three years which also poses challenges, Choubey said. “We have to be ahead of the growth curve,” he added. According to him, the 23 per cent growth seen in the domestic aviation sector, which is also highest in the world, is “not a flash in the pan”. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said that UDAN was “off to a very strong start”.