100 airports to be developed by next year under UDAN scheme: V K Singh

Minister of State, Civil Aviation, V K Singh said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha that the Union Government has planned to develop 100 airports by 2024 under the Regional Connectivity scheme (RCS)-Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) infrastructure scheme..

"Upgradation and modernization of airports is a continuous process and is undertaken by Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other airport operators from time to time depending on the availability of land, commercial viability, socio-economic considerations, traffic demand/ willingness of airlines to operate to/from such airports," the minister said.

AAI and other Airport Operators have targeted a capital outlay of approximately ₹98,000 crore in the airport sector across India by 2025 for the construction of Greenfield Airports and new terminals, expansion and modernization of existing terminals and strengthening of runways, among other activities.

"Out of this, more than ₹25,000 crore capital expenditure is being incurred by AAI and the remaining by private airport operators/developers," Singh added.

Development of new airports during the next five years includes the construction of Greenfield Airports at Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra, Vijayapura, Hassan and Shivamogga in Karnataka, Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh, Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat, and Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh.

Further, modernisation and upgradation work at existing Brownfield Airports include the development works being undertaken at Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, and Mangaluru airports.

"The Government has also planned to develop 100 airports by 2024 under the Regional Connectivity scheme (RCS)- Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) infrastructure scheme," Singh also said.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget for 2023-24 said 50 additional airports, heliports, water aerodromes and advance landing grounds will be revived for improving regional air connectivity in the country."Fifty additional airports, heliports, water aerodromes and advance landing grounds will be revived for improving regional air connectivity," Sitharaman said in her Budget speech.

Over the past few years, the government has been taking various initiatives, especially the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, to boost regional air connectivity.

Besides, she said that 100 critical transport infrastructure projects, for last and first-mile connectivity for ports, coal, steel, fertiliser, and food grains sectors have been identified. "They will be taken up on priority with investment of ₹75,000 crore, including ₹15,000 crore from private sources," she added.

*With agency inputs