UDAN high on promise, low on delivery

NEW DELHI: The hype around Udan (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme and low entry-barrier prompted a rich farmer from Maharashtra to approach the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to launch air services on select routes. But his initial enthusiasm soon fizzled out.

The much-publicised Udan or regional connectivity scheme (RCS), now in its third year, also seems to have lost steam with the latest data showing that a fourth of the routes out of 688 awarded so far getting regular flights.