Seven airports in Karnataka were operationalised under UDAN scheme connecting 118 routes

Of the nine airports in Karnataka, seven have been operationalised under the Regional Connectivity Scheme — Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN).

As per information by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol to a question in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing winter session of Parliament, airports at Bidar, Mysuru, Vidyanagar, Hubbali, Kalaburagi, Belagavi, and Shivamogga have been developed under RCS-UDAN, and 118 routes have been operationalised under the scheme.

“An amount of ₹ 146.89 crore has been utilised under the UDAN scheme for this purpose. All the seven airports are currently operational. Bidar airport is connected to Bengaluru by Star Air,” he said.

He added that most of the routes under the scheme, which completed their RCS tenure, have demonstrated financial viability and continue commercial operations.

“Flight operations on a few routes were discontinued after the expiry of the RCS tenure. To revive these routes, special bidding rounds are conducted to operationalise them,” he added.

In reply to another question on current status of development of airports in Ballari, Kolar, Kushalnagar, Raichur and Hassan under the scheme, the Minister said, “Under UDAN 5.2, bids have been received for small aircraft operations (less than 20 seats) for Ballari and Kolar airstrips.

No bids have been received for Kushalnagar, Raichur and Hassan airstrips. “The Ministry of Civil Aviation has requested the State Government of Karnataka to provide consent, and confirm the availability of land for the development of these airports. This includes ensuring that the land is provided free of cost and free from encumbrances, and is suitable for operating small aircraft (2B) initially, with the potential for future expansion to category 3C,” he said.

The Minister added said that the actual timelines for airport projects depend upon various factors, such as land acquisition, mandatory clearances, and removal of obstacles.