India’s ambition to democratise air travel through the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme was both visionary and necessary. Launched in 2016 with the promise that even a hawai chappal traveller should fly, UDAN aimed to bridge India’s regional connectivity gap and integrate tier-2 and tier-3 cities into the aviation ecosystem. Nearly a decade later, the results are mixed-marked by impressive scale on one hand and costly inefficiencies on the other.

As of December 2025, UDAN has operationalised over 651 routes, connected 93 airports including heliports and water aerodromes, and enabled more than 1.49 crore passengers to fly at capped fares. The government has deployed over ₹4,000 crore in Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to make regional routes attractive for airlines. Yet, parliamentary data reveals a troubling reality: around 52% of awarded UDAN routes never commenced operations, and only about 7% remained operational beyond three years.

More concerning is the confirmation that 15 UDAN airports remain non-operational despite cumulative investments exceeding ₹900 crore. Airports such as Azamgarh, Pakyong, Shimla, Pathankot, Kalaburagi, Rourkela, Ambikapur and Kushinagar now stand as under-utilised assets, even as the Union Budget 2026–27 allocates ₹540 crore to UDAN and proposes expansion to 120 additional destinations over the next decade. The question therefore is not about intent-but about execution and sustainability.

The reasons behind these failures are structural and recurring. In several cases, airports were developed without robust demand assessment, relying on optimistic projections rather than passenger behaviour, income profiles, tourism flow, or alternative transport availability. Poor last-mile connectivity further weakens viability, as travellers are unwilling to spend two to three hours on the road to access a short regional flight. Airline economics compound the issue: once the three-year VGF window closes, routes operating at 40–50% load factors become commercially unviable. The problem is intensified by fleet mismatch, as most Indian carriers operate larger A320 or B737 aircraft instead of 40–60 seat turboprops suited for thin regional routes, along with an ongoing shortage of trained pilots who are prioritised for profitable metro sectors.

Yet, UDAN has not failed everywhere. Airports such as Ayodhya, driven by sustained religious tourism, Deoghar, aligned with pilgrimage demand, and Kannur, supported by strong expatriate traffic and seamless ground connectivity, demonstrate that regional aviation succeeds when infrastructure is aligned with real demand. These successes underline a critical lesson: airports thrive not where they are built, but where they are needed.

As India prepares to expand UDAN further, policy recalibration is essential. Future growth must be grounded in demand-led feasibility, staged infrastructure development instead of fully built terminals upfront, longer VGF tenures linked to performance milestones, mandatory last-mile connectivity commitments, and incentives for airlines to induct regional aircraft. Idle airports must also be creatively repurposed-for aviation training, cargo operations, MRO facilities, emergency response hubs, or industrial logistics parks-so that public capital is not permanently locked into unproductive assets.

One factor often overlooked in the UDAN debate is human capital. Aviation infrastructure cannot function without skilled manpower. Many regional airports struggle not just due to demand or airline economics, but due to shortages of trained professionals in airport operations, ground handling, safety compliance, cargo logistics, and airline coordination. Sustainable regional aviation requires parallel investment in people, not just runways.

This is where aviation training becomes central to India’s connectivity story. As regional airports, airlines, and logistics hubs evolve, industry-aligned training is critical to ensure operational readiness from day one. InfiniFly Aviation Academy focuses precisely on this gap-preparing aviation professionals for real-world airport and airline operations with safety discipline, regulatory awareness, and industry exposure.

India’s aviation future will not be determined solely by how many airports are built, but by how effectively they operate. Infrastructure must be matched with demand, policy with execution, and capital investment with skilled manpower. Regional aviation can still be a powerful engine of inclusive growth-if built on realism, readiness, and responsibility.