Here’s everything you need to know about UDAN flight scheme

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off India’s first regional flight system, called the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme. The first phase of the scheme has seen three inaugural flights that were launched in the sectors of Shimla-Delhi, Kadapa-Hyderabad and Nanded-Hyderabad. The PM launched the flight from the hill station in Himachal Pradesh to the national capital.

It is the first-of-its-kind scheme in the world, said the PM in a tweet. This scheme has been launched as a key component of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) that the Aviation Ministry launched in June 2016.

The scheme has been launched keeping in mind the newfound interest that Indian middle class has developed in flying.

Fare for a 1-hour journey of approximately 500 kilometres on a fixed-wing aircraft would be capped at Rs 2,500, similar to a 30-minute journey on a helicopter.

The scheme would cover 27 currently served airports, along with 12 currently underserved airports and 31 currently unserved airports. Out of these 70 airports, 24 are in the western region, 17 are in the north, 11 are in the south, 12 are in the east, with remaining 6 in the northeast.

The scheme aims to connect as many as 22 states and two Union Territories, using the services of Airline Allied Services (Alliance Air), SpiceJet, Turbo Megha Airways, Air Deccan and Air Odisha.