The Centre plans to double the number of airports in the country over the next two to three years to serve the largely untapped domestic aviation industry which has seen an increase in passengers, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha has said.
In 2014, the BJP election manifesto had announced the UDAN (Udey Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme, under which it had committed itself to expand the number of airports. “We have 75 airports with scheduled services. We think to double it in the next two to three years," Sinha said.
UDAN was unveiled on July 1st; the scheme fixed an all-inclusive fare at Rs 2,500 for one-hour flights to try and make flying affordable for the common man. Sinha said that the scheme was aimed at developing regional routes that are underdeveloped.
The government is planning to raise around Rs 400 crore to run the UDAN air connectivity scheme. The connectivity scheme for short-distance air services to connecting small towns with larger hubs will be in place early next year.
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