HYDERABAD: The Telangana government which pinned its hopes on developing six airports as part of its Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) may still have to wait longer with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) not approving any of the proposed airports.
Telangana has proposed the development of airports at Jakranpally (Nizamabad), Palvoncha (Bhadradri-Kothagudem), Mahbubnagar, Mamnoor, (Warangal), Basanth Nagar (Peddapalli) and Adilabad. But the latest data from the Ministry of Civil Aviation shows none of them was identified for revival/upgradation under the Ude Desh ke Aam Naagrik (UDAN) programme.
The Ministry has identified 68 aerodromes to improve regional connectivity and under this, only Nagarjuna Sagar which is in between Telangana and AP got a place and that too under the water aerodrome category.
In Uttar Pradesh, 12 airports/heliports were identified, whereas, in smaller states like Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, five heliports were approved. It has set a target to operationalise 1,000 UDAN routes across India.
The Centre approved an allocation of Rs 4,500 crore for the revival of the unserved/underserved airports. This information was given by the Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia in a written reply to the questions in Lok Sabha on Thursday.
453 routes have commenced under UDAN so far
RCS-UDAN was launched to stimulate regional air connectivity and make air travel affordable to the masses. As on November 29, after four rounds of bidding under UDAN, 453 routes have commenced, operationalising 70 airports including two water aerodromes & nine heliports. More than 2.15 lakh UDAN flights have been operated and over 1.1 crore passengers have availed the benefits in UDAN flights so far.
The scheme has been able to provide air connectivity to Tier-2 & Tier-3 cities at affordable airfares and has transformed the way people travel. Even though Telangana has been waiting for five years, UDAN has not reached the State. The government has set a target to operationalise 1000 UDAN routes and to revive/develop 100 unserved & underserved airports/heliports/water aerodromes by 2024. The Centre approved a budget of Rs 4,500 crore for the revival of existing unserved/underserved airports/airstrips.
Things as they stand
Ministry of Civil Aviation has identified 68 aerodromes under RCS
In Uttar Pradesh alone, 12 airports/ heliports approved by AAI
Even in smaller states like Manipur, 5 heliports identified
Only Nagarjuna Sagar placed in the Telangana quota in the water aerodrome category