Regional Connectivity Scheme - Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) scheme successfully completes sixth year in 2023

Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), a government-backed initiative to improve infrastructure and connectivity in India, especially in remote and underserved areas, completed six years. It is an important component of India's National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016, which was launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on 21 October 2016 with a 10-year vision. Thus over a period of 6 years, different versions of the UDAN scheme were launched. Udaan 1.0: 5 airlines allocated 128 flight routes to 70 airports. UDAN 2.0: 73 underserved and unserved airports announced and helipads also added for the first time. UDAN 3.0: Tourism routes added in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism. Apart from seaplanes to connect water airports, several routes in the north-east region came under the scope of the plan. Udan 4.0: Incentive given to north-eastern regions, hill states and islands. Involved operation of helicopters and seaplanes. UDAN Versions 5 – 5.0, 5.1 and 5.2 UDAN 5.0 where the focus is on Category-2 (20-80 seats) and Category-3 (>80 seats) aircraft. Similarly, the 600 km limit has been removed and there is no restriction on the distance between the origin and destination of the flight.