Centre to invest Rs 28,840 crore in next ten years to expand, strengthen UDAN scheme

With the flagship UDAN scheme achieving remarkable progress over the past decade, the Union administration is all set to invest around Rs 28, 840 crore in the next 10 years to further expand the scheme and strengthen air connectivity nationwide.

Key points

• The proof of concept, introduced on June 20, 2026, has transshipped 280 MT of cargo, with aircraft capacity utilisation increasing from 75 per cent to almost 100 per cent.
• Earlier on Wednesday, Naidu flagged off the scaled-up phase of India's transhipment cargo reform at Delhi International Airport Limited's Transhipment Excellence Centre at Terminal 2 of IGI Airport.
• The network has now been expanded to Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Hyderabad, along with London and Copenhagen as extra international destinations.
• Civil aviation push: Ground reality check for soaring ambition The initiative intends to reduce cargo transit time and handling costs by eliminating mandatory re-screening of transhipment cargo.
• The Minister remarked the administration was engaging with states to improve aviation infrastructure, enhance connectivity and ensure more efficient airport operations and management.

Addressing mediapersons, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu remarked, "In Mysuru, we had the Civil Aviation Consultative Committee Meeting along with the members of the committee who are mostly members of Parliament, " Naidu stated.

Meanwhile, the Minister remarked the administration was engaging with states to improve aviation infrastructure, enhance connectivity and ensure more efficient airport operations and management.

"We have been thoroughly engaging with the states on how to improve our infrastructure, how to provide better connectivity, how to do more efficient operations and management of our airports. So we have discussed that in the Consultative Committee, " Naidu remarked.

For context, the session in Mysuru focused on various aspects of the civil aviation sector, including the progress and future expansion of the UDAN scheme.

Civil aviation push: Ground reality check for soaring ambition The initiative intends to reduce cargo transit time and handling costs by eliminating mandatory re-screening of transhipment cargo. A proof of concept on the Chennai-Delhi-Frankfurt route reduced average end-to-end transit time from 60 hours to 20 hours, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Meanwhile, the proof of concept, introduced on June 20, 2026, has transshipped 280 MT of cargo, with aircraft capacity utilisation increasing from 75 per cent to almost 100 per cent.

For context, the network has now been expanded to Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Hyderabad, along with London and Copenhagen as extra international destinations. The ministry remarked the expansion is anticipated to raise Air India's monthly cargo carriage on these routes from 1, 763 MT to 3, 183 MT, an growth of almost 80 per cent.

Naidu remarked the government's broader objective is to develop Indian airports into global passenger and cargo transit hubs. India a key player in Asia-Pacific aviation sector.

Taken together, the developments around centre to invest Rs 28, 840 crore in next ten years to expand, point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.