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UDAN State Agreements to Finalize Within Three Weeks, Says Aviation Minister
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Moneycontrol•22-09-2026, 16:48
UDAN State Agreements to Finalize Within Three Weeks, Says Aviation Minister
- •Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu announced that all state agreements for the next phase of the UDAN regional air connectivity program are expected to be finalized within two to three weeks.
- •Pacts have already been completed with 21 states, with West Bengal's signing scheduled for September 28.
- •The UDAN scheme, recently renewed for another ten years after its first decade, is projected to generate economic activity worth up to Rs 60,000 crore.
- •Over the past decade, UDAN has activated more than 90 airports and provided discounted air travel to approximately 1.54 crore passengers nationwide.
- •The revamped scheme will incorporate lessons from the original rollout, focusing on a "challenge mode" selection process for high-priority projects to reduce construction timelines from 3 years to 18 months, with a planned investment of Rs 30,000 crore over the next decade.
Key Questions Answered
Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated that the civil aviation ministry expects to finish signing agreements with every state for the next stage of the UDAN regional air connectivity program within roughly two to three weeks.
Pacts have already been finalized with 21 states, and West Bengal's MoU signing is scheduled for September 28.
By utilizing a challenge mode selection process instead of developing every airport simultaneously, the revamped scheme is expected to reduce project timelines from an average of three years down to about 18 months.
