Narendra Modi to unveil India's UDAN phase 2 with ₹28,840cr
India's big plan to make flying affordable and connect smaller cities, UDAN, has run into trouble.
Since its launch in 2017, flights on about half the routes (333 out of 669) have been dropped.
To fix things, Prime Minister Modi is set to unveil the second phase with a fresh budget of ₹28,840 crore, hoping to keep more planes in the air and improve infrastructure.
Subsidies to last 5 years
Even though the government poured in nearly ₹9,500 crore for subsidies and airport upgrades, many routes couldn't survive once initial funding ended.
Now, subsidies will last five years instead of three.
Routes operated by smaller airlines like Star Air were dropped after the subsidy period ended.
Experts think easier access to bigger airports and state-leased planes could help keep regional flights going strong.