The Vision of UDAN
Launched in 2016, the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme was a revolutionary idea. The goal was to connect India’s vast interior by making air travel affordable and accessible, upgrading underserved airstrips into functional airports and encouraging
airlines to fly routes that would otherwise be ignored. The plan was simple: the government would provide subsidies, known as Viability Gap Funding (VGF), to airlines for a three-year period to operate on these new routes, with capped fares to attract passengers. For a time, it worked, connecting dozens of new towns and giving millions of people their first taste of air travel.
A Turbulent Reality
The dream of seamless connectivity is now facing serious headwinds. Recent data reveals a stark picture: of the 669 routes made operational since the scheme began, flights have been discontinued on nearly half of them. This means that airports that once buzzed with activity are falling silent. For instance, services to airports like Karnataka's Bidar and Kalaburagi were stopped by the airline once the three-year subsidy period ended, highlighting a core issue with the scheme's design. Airlines found that once the government support was withdrawn, many routes were simply not commercially sustainable.
The Domino Effect on Daily Life
The discontinuation of these flights is more than just an inconvenience; it reverses progress and tangibly impacts everyday planning for residents and businesses in smaller cities. For a local entrepreneur, a cancelled flight route means reverting to slow, multi-day road or rail journeys to ship products or meet clients. For families, it means personal visits that once took a few hours now require days of travel. The promise of quick access to specialized healthcare or educational institutions in larger cities has also diminished for many. The tourism industry, which saw a boom in previously hard-to-reach destinations, now faces uncertainty, with hotels and local guides seeing bookings dwindle. This disruption forces a return to a slower, less connected way of life that many hoped was a thing of the past.
The Airline Perspective
Airlines argue that the challenges are manifold. Many routes have persistently low passenger demand, making them financially unviable even with subsidies. The initial three-year VGF period is often too short for a route to mature and become self-sustaining. Operational hurdles also abound, including delays in making airports fully ready for commercial flights, a shortage of the smaller aircraft best suited for these routes, and a lack of crucial connectivity to major hubs like Delhi and Mumbai, which is needed to build a sustainable network. For smaller carriers, the financial risk is immense, with many having either scaled back operations or shut down completely.
The Path Forward
Acknowledging these challenges, the government has recently launched a modified phase of the scheme, dubbed 'Viksit UDAN'. This new iteration comes with a significantly larger budget and extends the subsidy period for airlines from three to five years, hoping to give routes more time to become profitable. The renewed plan also allocates substantial funds for developing 100 more aerodromes and 200 modern helipads to strengthen infrastructure. The focus is on addressing the structural issues that led to the earlier failures, aiming to build a more resilient and truly connected regional aviation network.
