UDAN 4.1: Bids open for 392 air routes, focus on smaller airports

The civil aviation ministry has invited bids for 392 air routes it has decided to operationalise under its flagship Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme on the commencement of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (India@75)’, marking 75 years since India’s Independence.

The move is in line with the Centre’s continuing efforts to improve domestic connectivity as well as make flying more affordable.

A press release by the aviation ministry said on Saturday that on the commencement of the Union government’s ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (India@75)’, around 392 routes have been proposed under UDAN 4.1 bidding process.

“The UDAN 4.1 round is focused on connecting smaller airports, along with special helicopter and seaplane routes. In addition to these, some new routes have been proposed under the Sagaramala Seaplane Services in consultation with the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways,” the release said.

It said documents have been uploaded on the Central Procurement Portal of the National Informatics Centre for the invitation process. The latest bidding process is expected to be completed in six weeks.

Some operational flexibilities will be extended to airlines under the UDAN 4.1 to ensure suitable operation models to connect smaller cities/airstrips, according to the ministry. Also, the operations under NSOP (Non-Scheduled Operator’s Permit) will be allowed for seaplanes, fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters under the latest round.

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Usha Padhee, joint secretary, civil aviation ministry, said that the special UDAN 4.1 bidding round invites bids for priority routes which have not been covered under UDAN so far. “This bidding round also includes routes specially requested by the state governments/UT administrations and earlier cancelled/terminated routes. We have observed great demand on many Tier-2 and Tier-3 UDAN routes,” she said.

The UDAN is the civil aviation ministry’s flagship regional connectivity scheme that aims at making air travel affordable in the country and boosting employment opportunities and air transport infrastructure development across the nation.

Under the UDAN scheme, which is set to complete fours years in 2021, as many as 325 routes and 56 airports have been operationalized so far. These include five heliports and two water aerodromes.