New Airports Under RCS-UDAN

• 23 Oct 2024

Source: PIB  

Why in News?

Recently, the Prime Minister inaugurated three airports under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN) in Rewa (Madhya Pradesh), Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh), and Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh). 

• These airports aim to enhance air travel accessibility and will soon commence flights, furthering the mission of improving infrastructure in underserved regions. 

What is the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN)? 

• About: Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) was launched as a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016. 
  • The scheme connects remote areas, promoting tourism and economic growth, and has facilitated over 144 lakh passenger travels in its seven years.  
    • It supports last-mile connectivity and addresses unserved air routes. 
  • The first RCS-UDAN flight was inaugurated by the Prime Minister in 2017, connecting Shimla to Delhi. 
• Versions of UDAN:  
  • UDAN 1.0: Awarded 128 flight routes to connect 70 airports (36 newly operational). 
  • UDAN 2.0: Inclusion of helipads for the first time. 
  • UDAN 3.0: Introduce seaplanes for water aerodromes, enhancing connectivity in the North-East Region. 
  • UDAN 4.0: Focused on North-Eastern regions, hilly states, and islands, facilitating operations for helicopters and seaplanes. 
  • UDAN 5.0: Prioritises Category-2 and Category-3 aircraft. 
    • UDAN 5.1: Boosts helicopter routes by increasing funding, lowering airfare caps, and requiring one destination to be a priority area. 
    • UDAN 5.2: Enhances last-mile connectivity with small aircraft, boosting tourism in remote areas. 
    • UDAN 5.3 and 5.4: To operationalize previously discontinued routes, further enhancing point-to-point air connectivity. 

Other Major Initiatives for Aviation Sector 

• National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP): The NCAP seeks to make flying affordable and accessible, foster civil aviation growth, promote tourism and employment, enhance regional connectivity through fiscal support and infrastructure, and improve business ease via deregulation and e-governance. 
• Open Sky Agreement: The bilateral agreements between two countries negotiating to provide rights for airlines to offer international passenger and cargo services.  
• Digi Yatra for Seamless Travel: This digital platform facilitates a contactless experience for air travellers, with features like facial recognition and paperless check-in. 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Prelims

Q1. With reference to ‘National Investment and Infrastructure Fund’, which of the following statements is/are correct? (2017) 

1. It is an organ of NITI Aayog. 
2. It has a corpus of `4,00,000 crore at present. 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only 

(c) Both 1 and 2 

(d) Neither 1 nor 2 

Ans: (d)