Govt launches UDAN scheme for low cost regional flights
PM Narendra Modi on Thursday launched Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme for regional flight connectivity by flagging off the inaugural flight from Shimla to Delhi. Under UDAN, government will connect small towns by air with 50% plane seats' fare capped at ?2,500 for a one-hour journey of 500 kilometres. UDAN will connect over 45 unserved and under-served airports.
After much wait, the first UDAN flight took off from Shimla today after being flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The flight will be operated by Alliance Air, the regional arm of Air India. PM Narendra Modi handed over boarding passes to some of passengers travelling via the first UDAN flight at the Shimla airport.Tomorrow PM @narendramodi will flag off the first UDAN flight under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, on Shimla-Delhi sector.Air India yesterday opened bookings for the first launch flight from Shimla to Delhi with all inclusive fares starting at Rs2,036.THE GREAT 'UDAN'The UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme seeks to make flying more affordable for the common people, holding a plan to connect over 45 unserved and under-served airports.Under UDAN, 50 per cent of the seats on each flight would have a cap of Rs 2,500 per seat/hour. The government has also extended subsidy in the form of viability gap funding to the operators flying on these routes.The scheme was launched to "make air travel accessible to citizens in regionally important cities," and has been described as "a first-of-its-kind scheme globally to stimulate regional connectivity through a market-based mechanism." Report have it the first flight today will not be flying at full capacity on its 70-seater ATR airplane because of payload restrictions related to the short Shimla airfield.|| Read more ||Udan scheme: Now you can fly to these 43 cities, see the full list hereUDAN scheme to fly hour-long flights capped at Rs 2,500 to smaller cities