UDAN-4 eyes flights in hilly areas, islands, NE, Ayodhya
NEW DELHI: After a mixed success of the subsidised “ude desh ka aam nagrik” (UDAN) whose first three phases saw 688 routes being awarded but only 232 of them getting operational, the government has launched the fourth round of this scheme.
The focus of regional connectivity scheme (RCS) UDAN-4 is on enhancing connectivity in remote and regional areas of the country — northeast India, hilly states, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and the islands. Faizabad — nearest airport to Ayodhya — has also been offered for operators to fly to this pilgrim town.
Non-schedule operators of helicopter and seaplanes will be allowed to bid in this round, paving the way for water aerodromes. The list of airports sought to be connected by flights under this scheme includes names like: Campbell Bay, Car Nicobar and Shibpur in Andaman and Nicobar; Alinya, Along, Daparizo and Mechuka in Arunachal; Darrang, Dinjan, Ledo and Misa Mari in Assam; Akhnur, Chamb, Chushal, Poonch, Rajouri and Udhampur in J&K; Shella and Tura in Meghalaya; Kailashahar and Kamalpur in Tripura; and Gaucher in Uttarakhand. These airports are in the priority areas.
