No flight route under UDAN scheme cancelled: Govt

New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) The government has not cancelled any route under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN, Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh said in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

The UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme was launched in 2016 by the central government to stimulate regional air connectivity and make air travel affordable to the masses in tier-2 and tier-3 cities and towns.

In his reply to a query during the Question Hour, the minister said nearly 509 routes are operational and “no route has been cancelled. There is a system in place by which the routes are allocated.”

The routes are allocated to airlines through a bidding process and depending on underserved/ unserved airports, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) lays up facilities for operation of the flight on a particular route, he said.

If an airline walks away from a route, the re-bidding for that route takes place in the next round. Therefore, no routes are cancelled and they all depend on bidding, he said.

The minister further said that there is no pre-allotment of routes.

Airlines are required to start the flight operation within two years of bidding and if they fail to do so, the route goes into the next bidding process. Thus the route remains unutilised till the next bidder takes it.

Replying to a supplementary question on the low number of flight services to the pilgrim town of Shirdi in Maharashtra, the minister said the airport is under the state government.

Airlines decide to operate more flights depending on the cost and viability.

However, the government will convey to airlines if they want to increase the flights.

On the delay in the inauguration of the new terminal of Pune airport, he said the work is underway. He also took note of a member’s remarks raising the deteriorating condition of the Pune airport.