Now Fly Easily to Lakshadweep and Kargil: UDAN Scheme 2 Brings Plenty of Surprises

Always wanted to visit Lakshadweep or Kasauli but the poor air connection played spoilsport? Your complaints are about to get resolved! These and more such scenic Indian towns pulsating with culture and lit up by the blessings of nature will now become directly accessible to you via air, thanks to the phase two of UDAN scheme.

 

UDAN connects over 73 small towns and cities via air

UDAN, which stands for ‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik’, is a government scheme focussed on boosting regional connectivity through affordable flights. Several new air links – Mumbai to Shirdi, Hyderabad to Shirdi, Mumbai to Nashik – have already been established as part of this scheme. To keep the services affordable, the tickets are capped at Rs 2,500 for flight duration under one hour. Now the government is rolling out phase two, shortly. Hence, under this UDAN scheme, more than 73 small towns and cities—a majority of them in hilly regions, will now be linked via air by the end of this year. Existing helipads, airstrips are being utilised to enhance air connectivity options, in addition to inclusion of new airports in areas with no infrastructure to support flight arrival and departure.

Ticket prices as low as Rs. 2500!

While we are excited about many towns getting air connectivity, we are most thrilled about civilian air connectivity being provided for the first time to Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakyong in Sikkim, and Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh. Phase two of UDAN routes will also see routes being served by helicopters served by helipads, apart from fixed-wing aircraft. Several key tourist destinations within Himachal will also be linked through helicopters, for less than Rs 2,500 a seat. The routes identified so far include Kasauli to Shimla, Mandi to Dharamshala, Kullu to Shimla, Manali to Kullu, Rampur to Nathpa-Jhakri, Mandi to Rampur. In Uttarakhand too, 15 remote locations will get a connectivity boost through air links.

Other small cities and towns that have been covered under the UDAN scheme include Kannur in Kerala, Lakshadweep, Kishangarh in Rajasthan, and Jiribam and Moreh in Manipur. So how does the overall UDAN report card read? Between phase one and two, the UDAN scheme has added around 80 airports in the country. Now, that’s called soaring high!

Read more: Planning a Trip to Lakshadweep Islands? Here's Everything You Need to Know