The most recent spherical of the Indian authorities’s flagship scheme to strengthen air connectivity will give attention to Class-2 and Class-3 routes involving 20–80-seater plane and greater than 80-seater plane, respectively.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the fifth bidding spherical of the regional connectivity programme – maybe the world’s largest such train – to develop air connectivity to the remotest areas of the nation, a authorities assertion stated Friday.

This spherical of the Regional Connectivity Scheme-Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS UDAN) will give attention to Class-2 and Class-3 routes involving 20–80-seater plane and greater than 80-seater plane, respectively. Notably, the earlier size cap of 600 km has been waived off, with there being no restriction on the space lined between the origin and vacation spot of a flight being operated below the scheme.

One other important characteristic is the enhancement in viability hole funding (VGF) to operators to 600 km from the earlier 500 km for each precedence and non-priority areas. Moreover, no predetermined routes are being supplied, as solely community and particular person routes proposed by airways can be thought-about.

The airways are required to submit a marketing strategy two months after the issuance of the letter of award (LoA), the place they’d be required to submit plans associated to plane acquisition or availability of plane, crew, slots, and so forth., for the technical proposal.

To stop monopolisation of the scheme, no single airline can be awarded the identical route, whether or not in several or the identical networks. Furthermore, MoCA will withdraw unique rights of operation if the typical quarterly passenger load issue (PLF) is increased than 75 per cent for 4 steady quarters.

In case an airline is unable to launch operations inside 4 months of the award of a route, MoCA will deduct 25 per cent from the efficiency assure deposited by it. This clause has been added to make sure quicker operationalisation of routes. Earlier, the deadline was six months.

The record of airports which might be both prepared or would quickly be prepared for operations has been included within the scheme to facilitate quicker operationalisation of routes. The novation course of for transferring routes from one operator to a different has additionally been simplified.

Talking on the newest bidding spherical for the scheme civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated: “UDAN has proved to be a lifeblood of many areas which are actually properly linked with locations throughout the nation. This new and stronger model of the scheme will increase the momentum, connecting new routes, and convey us nearer to the goal of operationalising 1,000 routes and 50 further airports, heliports and water aerodromes within the close to future.”

Launched in 2017, greater than 1.4 crore passengers have travelled by air on subsidised tickets below RCS UDAN.