UDAN Day | 22 Oct 2020

Why in News

Recently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has celebrated the UDAN day on the 4^th anniversary of the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) Scheme.

• The Government of India has acknowledged the contribution of the scheme and has identified 21^st October as UDAN Day, the day on which the scheme document was first released.

Key Points

• About the Scheme:
  
  • Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) was launched as a regional connectivity scheme (RCS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016.
  • Aim:
    
    • To develop the regional aviation market.
    • To provide affordable, economically viable and profitable air travel on regional routes to the common man even in small towns.
  • It envisages providing connectivity to un-served and under-served airports of the country through the revival of existing airstrips and airports.
    
    • Under-served airports are those which do not have more than one flight a day, while unserved airports are those where there are no operations.
  • The scheme is implemented by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and is operational for a period of 10 years.
• Achievements Highlighted:
  
  • Created a virtuous circle wherein the UDAN routes feed the national network and the national routes further create new opportunities for the people across the country who then generate demand for more regional routes.
  • Played a major role in adding new airports and routes to the aviation landscape of the country.
• Suggestions:
  
  • Stakeholders should work towards making the UDAN scheme sustainable on its own and improve its efficiency.
  • Airlines should undertake marketing initiatives so that more and more people can take advantage of the UDAN scheme.
  • More infrastructure is required for the successful implementation of the scheme across the country.

Source: PIB