Following are UDAN 5.0's key features:
- Category-2 (20–80 seats) and Category-3 (>80 seats) are the main emphasis of UDAN 5.0
- There are no restrictions on the distance between the flight's origin and destination, and the prior stage length cap of 600 km is removed.
- The maximum stage length for viability gap funding (VGF), which was previously set at 500 km, is now 600 km for both priority and non-priority areas.
- No pre-planned routes would be available. Only airline-proposed networks and individual routes will be taken into consideration.
- To further encourage prompt operationalization, 25% of the Performance Guarantee will be forfeited for each month of delay up to four months.
- Within 4 months following the route's award, airlines would have to start operating. This deadline used to be six months.
About Scheme: The National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 (RCS-UDAN - Regional Connectivity Scheme - Ude Deshka Aam Naagrik) was launched on October 21, 2016. In April 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi signalled the start of the first UDAN Scheme flight from Delhi to Shimla.
Objectives: The UDAN Scheme's main objective is to establish air service connectivity between small and medium cities and major cities. It seeks to fulfil the common citizen’s dream of air travel.
Features:
- The cost of a one-hour flight in a "fixed wing" aircraft or a half-hour flight in a helicopter covering approximately 500 kilometers has been set at Rs. 2500.
- Airline companies submit bids for routes. The contract is given to the business that requests the smallest subsidy.
- The airline is required to reserve half of the available seats, or a minimum of 9 or a maximum of 40, for each flight under this pricing.
By 2024, 100 new airports will be built in India as part of the UDAN RCS programme, and by 2026, 1,000 new routes will be added.
Other Important Schemes
