Udan

UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) is a government program in India aimed at enhancing regional air connectivity and making air travel affordable for the common citizen. It forms part of the Civil Aviation Ministry’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). Launched in 2016, the program seeks to encourage air travel on routes that are not commercially viable by providing government support and fare caps, thereby linking smaller cities and airports to the national network.

Under UDAN, the government provides Viability Gap Funding to selected airlines to subsidize operations on designated routes and caps fares to keep tickets affordable. Airlines operate on routes assigned through a bidding process, typically using smaller aircraft on regional corridors. Airports across tier-2 and tier-3 cities, along with some smaller or underused aerodromes, are brought into the network through this scheme.

Implementation has occurred in multiple rounds, sometimes described as UDAN 1.0 and UDAN 2.0, with ongoing policy updates to expand coverage and address viability concerns. The scheme is administered by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, with implementation support from the Airports Authority of India and other state and central agencies. While UDAN has increased regional connectivity and provided travel options for many residents, the program has faced challenges related to route viability, capacity, and demand fluctuations, leading to adjustments over time.