UPSC Mains 2024 GS3 Q12: model answer

India is the third largest domestic aviation market, yet traffic is concentrated in a few metro airports.

Need

• Faster travel to hilly, island and North-Eastern areas where roads and rail are slow.
• Tourism, trade and investment in tier-2 and tier-3 towns.
• Medical evacuation and disaster response.
• Balanced regional growth; decongest metro airports.

UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), 2016

• Part of the National Civil Aviation Policy, 2016.
• Airlines bid for unserved routes; about half the seats have capped fares.
• Viability Gap Funding from Centre (80%) and States (20%, 10% for NE).
• Concessions: lower airport charges, GST and fuel tax relief.
• Variants: Krishi UDAN, helicopter and seaplane routes, UDAN 5.0.

Achievements

• Over 600 routes started and around 90 airports, heliports and water aerodromes operationalised.
• Over 1.4 crore passengers flown by 2024.
• Airports grew from 74 in 2014 to over 150.

Problems

• Many routes shut after the VGF period of three years.
• Small airlines failed; shortage of small aircraft and pilots.
• Poor last-mile access to some airports.

Way forward: longer support for remote routes, small aircraft leasing, and linking routes with tourism circuits.

UDAN has made flying more common; sustaining routes is the next test.