The UDAN scheme has encountered significant challenges as many routes from Hyderabad remain inactive or are discontinued (Representative pic)
14 of the 60 route sectors under UDAN are either non-operational or yet to commence, according to an RTI filed by TOI Hyderabad with the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Low occupancy, limited aircraft availability and rising operating costs have made it difficult to sustain flights to several tier-2 and tier-3 cities, where demand for air travel remains limited. Because the required water aerodromes are not ready, of the 60 sectors listed by the AAI, 12 are marked ‘non-operational’, while two seaplane sectors have not commenced.
Sources said several UDAN services have struggled to remain viable, with airlines withdrawing from routes that fail to generate sufficient passenger demand.
The number of passengers using operational UDAN routes from Hyderabad rose from 51,000 in 2017-18 to 3.56 lakh in 2019-20, before reaching 3.61 lakh in 2020-21, according to the data.
“To ensure continuity of services under the UDAN scheme , state govts have been entrusted with identifying and prioritising high-potential aerodromes, while airlines are required to submit business plans before award of routes,” minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol said recently in the Rajya Sabha. He added that the next phase of UDAN would strengthen route sustainability through longer-duration VGF support with a tapered mechanism, giving routes more time to mature.