India's UDAN scheme sees airport approvals and route cancellations

Development work at Bokaro and Dumka airports in Jharkhand under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN) has been completed, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is now reviewing approvals for commercial flight operations. The Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, noted that a total of Rs 122.04 crore was sanctioned for airport development in the state, with Rs 117.61 crore already spent. Flight services already operate from Jamshedpur and Deoghar, while work on Hazaribagh and Daltonganj remains stalled due to land acquisition issues.

In Uttar Pradesh, the scheme faced setbacks as 34 routes were discontinued because they failed to meet economic viability targets, reducing the number of operational UDAN routes to 348 out of 679 launched. The government has imposed penalties in 14 cases for short‑term performance failures and plans to reassess discontinued routes in the next phase, encouraging state governments to prioritize high‑potential aerodromes. A second phase of UDAN has been launched with an outlay of Rs 28,840 crore, including Rs 3,661 crore for developing 200 heliports in hilly and aspirational regions.