Small Aircraft to Connect Remote Regions Under UDAN 5.2

25.08.2023 - 13:09 / skift.com / Amrita Ghosh / Jyotiraditya Scindia

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has inaugurated UDAN 5.2, a new phase of the regional connectivity scheme “Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik” to improve last-mile connectivity in remote and underserved regions with small aircraft, specifically those with 1A (less than nine seats) and Category 1 (less than 20 seats). 

“Today we have awarded 22 routes, which underlines the fact that air travel facility is being made available to citizens living in remote areas,” Scindia said during the 5th Helicopter & Small Aircraft Summit held at Khajuraho in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.  

Following four successful rounds of the scheme, the Ministry of Civil Aviation introduced UDAN 5.1 in May tailored to focus on helicopter routes. 

More than 12.3 million passengershave traveled on UDAN flights since the inception of the scheme, according to a statement from the ministry. Till now, 148 airports, including nine heliports and two water aerodromes, have been developed and operationalized. 

Launched in October 2016, UDAN aims to make air travel more affordable and accessible to a wider range of citizens by capping airfare on regional routes and providing financial incentives to airlines and airport operators. It encourages airlines to operate on underserved routes that may not be financially viable otherwise.

Australia hosted 375,500 Indian visitors in the 12-month period ended May 2023, surpassing pre-Covid levels, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This makes India the fourth-largest inbound tourism market for the country. Indian tourists spent approximately $1.35 billion in the financial year 2023, a 16% increase compared to financial year 2019.  

“India has improved its ranks among Australia’s source markets, and reached a milestone of emerging as the first market to recover to pre-Covid levels,” said Nishant Kashikar, country manager for India and Gulf at Tourism Australia. 

Direct flights on the India-Australia route have more than tripled to 22 a week versus seven flights per week prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Melbourne featured as the preferred arrival destination for Indians at 45.8% during the period under review, followed by Sydney with a 33.8% share and Perth attracting 8.1% of globetrotters from India.

In a respite for SpiceJet, aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has removed the budget airline from its enhanced surveillance regime. The airline, which has been facing multiple headwinds, was placed under enhanced surveillance recently after it had reported incidents of technical glitches during flights between April and July 2022.  

The regulator conducted 51 spot checks across 11 locations in the country on the airline’s fleet of Boeing B737 and