Affordable air taxis will soon become reality, says Indian PM Narendra Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that affordable air taxis will soon become a reality in India as the government prepares the country for advanced air mobility. Speaking at the Aviation Ministerial Conference in the national capital, PM Modi underscored how the expanding middle class is the biggest growth driver in the aviation industry. The two-day conference was attended by nearly 300 representatives from 29 countries.

PM Modi said that air travel has become more inclusive and affordable thanks to the regional connectivity scheme which allows more people from smaller cities to travel via airplanes. Since the regional connectivity scheme UDAN, some 14 million people have flown via airplanes, reflecting better connectivity and rise in demand in the civil aviation sector.

He further stressed that India is India is the fastest-growing aviation market globally and that the airlines have ordered 1,200 aircraft so far. He added that while it is a growing sector, it requires constant technological innovation and trained workforce to keep it going.

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What is UDAN scheme?
UDAN stands for Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik, which is a government-backed Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) to improve air connectivity in the country, particularly in remote and underserved regions. The first UDAN flight, inaugurated by the PM, took off from Shimla to Delhi on April 27, 2017.

The objectives of the scheme include making air travel affordable for the masses by increasing regional air connectivity at reasonable rates. It focuses on promoting balanced regional growth by enabling air operations on underserved and unserved routes. The scheme also focuses on improving infrastructure and connectivity for civil aviation in the country.

Under the UDAN scheme, the airfare for a one-hour journey by a 'fixed wing aircraft' or half an hour's journey by a helicopter for about 500 km, has been fixed at INR 2500.