UDAN or Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik scheme, aiming to stimulate regional connectivity through a market-based mechanism, will be launched on Thursday. “Tomorrow Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag-off the first UDAN flight on Shimla-Delhi sector,” the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) stated in a tweet. “Simultaneously, PM Modi will also flag off the inaugural UDAN flights on Kadapa–Hyderabad and Nanded-Hyderabad sectors,” another tweet added.
Under the scheme, airfare for an hour’s journey (approximately 500 km) on a fixed wing aircraft or for a 30-minute journey on a helicopter would be capped at Rs. 2,500, the PMO said. The government has also extended subsidy in the form of viability gap funding to the operators flying on these routes.
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PM Modi will launch the scheme from Shimla. This will be his first visit to Shimla after becoming the Prime Minister. The airport at Jubbarhatti, which is 22 km from Shimla and is located 2,196 metres above sea-level, was shut for scheduled flights since September 6, 2012.
The UDAN Scheme which is a key component of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) was released on June 15 last year.
Trujet is one of the five operators who have been awarded 128 routes under the UDAN scheme. The five operators are SpiceJet, Air Odisha, Air India subsidiary Airline Allied Services, Air Deccan, and Turbo Megha. Turbo Megha is the holding company of Trujet. The seating capacity of airlines under the scheme will range from 19 to 78.
