No flights home: Two-thirds of Udan routes in Karnataka grounded; schedule uncertainty another worry

BENGALURU: Nearly a decade since Udan (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) took off to boost regional air connectivity, Karnataka has only 11 of its 42 selected routes in operation, exposing gaps in the scheme’s long-term sustainability.

The Udan-regional connectivity scheme (RCS) was designed to link under-served and unserved regions through subsidies or viability gap funding (VGF), enabling airlines to run low-demand routes while keeping fares affordable.