A six fold increase in the UDAN budget is set to expand regional air connectivity, improve access to smaller towns, and drive demand for regional aircraft, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said. The ₹28,840 crore plan includes 100 new airports and 200 helipads over the next decade, positioning aviation as a more accessible mode of transport beyond metro cities.
The move is expected to support domestic manufacturing, with Embraer and Leonardo exploring production in India through partnerships with Adani Group.
The revamped scheme also extends airline subsidies from three to five years to improve route viability, especially as smaller carriers face delays due to aircraft shortages and airport readiness. The earlier version saw uneven execution, with only about half of operational routes sustained. The government now aims to expand aviation access to tier II and tier III cities, targeting 350 airports by 2047.
