2 airports, 9 helipads identified in Himachal Pradesh under UDAN scheme

The Government on Monday informed the Rajya Sabha that two airports and nine helipads have been identified in Himachal Pradesh for operating flights under the UDAN scheme, providing air connectivity to remote areas. The Regional Connectivity Scheme-Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) was launched in 2016 with an aim to enhanceregional air connectivity to remote and unserved areas of the country through a demand-based bidding mechanism that incentivises airlines to connect unserved/underserved airstrips.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said, “UDAN scheme has revolutionised the Indian civil aviation sector, and we were able to extend the connectivity to regional remote areas, especially the areas of tier two and tier three cities, where we were able to establish the airports, but the connectivity was still a challenge”.

Through this scheme, he said, the Government has been able to operationalise 657 routes, and 1.59 crore passengers have travelled in these routes.

“So, the success of this UDAN story needs to be continued, because we are in the plan of opening up more airports in the country. So, it is a necessity that UDAN needs to be extended,” the minister said. Naidu said the Government has been making changes in the scheme based on the feedback from stakeholders.

“I am very thankful to the finance minister, who, in the last budget, only announced that the UDAN is going to be extended. And the specific things that were mentioned was 120 new destinations are going to be established in the coming 10 years. Especially the hilly terrain, the north eastern states, the Himalayan states are going to be given a priority in establishing regional connectivity,” the minister said.

Naidu said Himachal Pradesh and to the extent, Shimla is going to be there in the extended UDAN also.

“Under the UDAN scheme, two airports and nine helipads have been identified in the state of Himachal Pradesh for development and operation of RCS flights,” the minister said.

A total of 38 RCS routes have been operationalised, connecting 6 aerodromes, namely Shimla, Kullu, Rampur (Heliport), Mandi (Heliport), Reckong Peo (Heliport) and Sanjauli (Heliport) in Himachal Pradesh.

“In terms of providing connectivity, it is a challenge, especially in the hilly terrains, to establish an airport. But the air connectivity is still of a big demand because the kind of the time advantage it gives in terms of travelling,” he said.

The Government has extended the UDAN not only to create airports, but to create helipads and heliports also.

“And Himachal has been a great beneficiary of this. We have established nine locations where the helipads are going to be there,” the minister said.

On average, he said there is a spending of up to Rs 13 crore per helipad and this is a budgetary support the central Government is giving to create these helipads.

In a written reply, Naidu informed that under the UDAN scheme, 657 RCS routes have been operationalised, connecting 93 unserved and underserved airports, including 15 heliports and 2 water aerodromes as on January 20, 2026.

More than 160 lakh passengers benefitted by connecting through 3.36 lakh RCS flights operated under the scheme.

Alliance Air operated flight services on the Shimla-Delhi-Shimla and Shimla- Amritsar-Shimla routes under the RCS-UDAN using ATR-42 aircraft.

However, operations on the Delhi sector were discontinued effective from October 16, 2025, following the completion of the prescribed three-year Viability Gap Funding (VGF) tenure.

The Amritsar service, which commenced on November 16, 2023, was discontinued with effect from October 17, 2025, due to a shortage of operational aircraft in the airline’s fleet.

“If any airline submits a valid bid for the RCS routes connecting Shimla airport, in the upcoming rounds of bidding, the same may be considered as per the provisions of the UDAN scheme,” he said.

Further, Naidu said the Government has announced the launch of the modified UDAN Scheme to increase regional connectivity to 120 new destinations across the country, to cater to 4 crore passengers over the next 10 years.