The Government kick-started the regional air connectivity scheme  by inviting submission of initial proposals from operators to fly to airports which do not have regular flights now. Operators have a six week window (till December 2) to submit their initial proposals. The Government will take two to three days to scrutinise the proposals and the entire process is likely to take 10 weeks to complete.

• Termed “Ude Desh ka Aam nagrik” or UDAN, this regional connectivity scheme (RCS) will be funded by levying a fee on aircraft landing at bigger airports.
• Aviation secretary RN Choubey  said the levy, “which will be a very nominal one” will be announced by the month-end. It is estimated that if airlines pass on this levy to flyers, the increase in cost per ticket is unlikely to be more than Rs 60.
• Firstly, successful bidders will now have exclusive rights to operate on a regional route for three years, up from the previous plan of one year.
• Secondly, a UDAN flight operating from a small city to a metro like Delhi or Kolkata will have to pay no airport charges at the bigger airport.
• And finally, It possible for entrepreneurs to lease planes in small numbers also to become regional operators.

DO YOU KNOW?

• Jayant Sinha is the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, a Member of Indian Parliament and formerly the Minister of State for Finance.
• Sinha holds an M.B.A. with Distinction from the Harvard Business School, an M.S. in Energy Management & Policy from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Technology degree with Distinction from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
• In May 2014, he was elected to the Lok Sabha, representing from Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.