Aiming to spice up regional air connectivity, the Union Cupboard, chaired by way of Top Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday authorized the release and implementation of the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Changed UDAN – for ten years from FY 2026-27 to FY 2035-36.
It has a complete outlay of Rs 28,840 crore with the budgetary beef up of the Govt of India.The Changed Udan goals to strengthen regional air connectivity to underserved and unserved spaces whilst supporting reasonably priced air shuttle for commonplace voters.
Briefing the media at the Cupboard selections on Wednesday, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw equipped main points at the scheme’s implementation framework. The federal government intends to make use of the outlay to spice up financial expansion, industry, and tourism in Tier-II and Tier-III towns.
This alteration of the present scheme is predicted to enhance emergency reaction and healthcare get admission to in far off and hilly areas, whilst making sure better viability and sustainability for regional aerodromes and airline operators.
A significant element of the scheme comes to the advance of 100 airports from present unserved airstrips. The infrastructure growth, labeled below capital expenditure, is allotted Rs 12,159 crore over the following 8 years. The transfer is designed to turn into the rustic right into a globally aggressive aviation ecosystem, aligning with the Viksit Bharat 2047 imaginative and prescient. Along airport building, the scheme addresses the operation and upkeep of aerodromes.
Vaishnaw famous that as a result of regional-only aerodromes face restricted earnings streams and prime routine prices, the federal government will supply O&M beef up for 3 years. This help is capped at Rs 3.06 crore in line with annum for each and every airport and Rs 0.90 crore for heliports and water aerodromes. The federal government estimates a complete requirement of Rs 2,577 crore to beef up roughly 441 aerodromes below this provision.
To resolve connectivity demanding situations in hilly, far off, and island areas, the scheme involves building of 200 trendy helipads. Those amenities, specializing in precedence and aspirational districts, will value roughly Rs 15 crore each and every, totaling Rs 3,661 crore over 8 years.
Moreover, the scheme supplies Viability Hole Investment (VGF) to airline operators to maintain regional routes. The federal government proposed a VGF allocation of Rs 10,043 crore over the ten-year period to permit for important marketplace building.
The scheme additionally features a push for the indigenous aerospace sector below the Atmanirbhar Bharat imaginative and prescient. To deal with the lack of small airplane, the federal government will procure two HAL Dhruv helicopters for Pawan Hans and two HAL Dornier airplane for Alliance Air. Those belongings are meant for operations in tricky terrains the place same old industrial fleets face boundaries.
The unique UDAN Scheme, which started in October 2016, equipped the basis for those new measures. In step with knowledge shared all over the briefing, 663 routes had been operationalized throughout 95 airports, heliports, and water aerodromes as of February 28, 2026.During the last 9 years, greater than 3.41 lakh flights operated below the scheme, wearing 162.47 lakh passengers.
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