Giving a fillip to regional air connectivity in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik" (UDAN), IAF has handed over Defence land of seven of its airports to the Airport Authority (AAI) for operating civil flights. They include Bagdogra, Darbhanga, Adampur, Utarlai, Sarsawa, Kanpur and Gorakhpur.
The AAI will now utilise the existing IAF airfields to operate civil flights under the Regional Connectivity(RCS) UDAN scheme.
Approximately 40 acres of land is being handed over for development of civil terminals and necessary airfield infrastructure for commencing RCS flights. Providing air connectivity at these locations will boost economy and develop areas. Moreover, IAF is also in process of handing over defence land for expansion of civil airports at six locations, over and above those covered under RCS.
They include Srinagar, Thanjavur, Chandigarh, Leh, Pune and Agra. This will facilitate expansion of the existing terminals and facilities to accommodate an enhanced number of passengers and cargo infrastructure, IAF officials said here on Friday.