601 routes, 71 airports operationalised under UDAN: Civil aviation ministry

The civil aviation ministry on Sunday said as many as 601 routes and 71 airports have been operationalised under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN, which was introduced eight years ago. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) is aimed at enhancing regional air connectivity and making flying more affordable. In a release, the ministry said 601 routes, including helicopter routes, have been operationalised, and that around 28 per cent of these routes serve the remotest locations. "A total of 86 aerodromes -- comprising 71 airports, 13 heliports, and 2 water aerodromes -- have been operationalised, facilitating the travel of over 1.44 crore passengers across more than 2.8 lakh flights," it added. Meanwhile, the number of operational airports in the country has doubled from 74 in 2014 to 157 in 2024 and the aim is to increase the count to 350-400 by 2047. The UDAN scheme was introduced on October 21, 2016.