The government received 141 initial proposals from 17 bidders in the second round of bidding under Udan or Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS).
Of this, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju told reporters, 108 proposals are related to fixed wing aircraft while the rest are for chopper services.
These proposals cover 502 routes, including 161 falling in the priority areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal, Uttaranchal and north-eastern states. "Priority areas are really getting priority," Raju said.
"In 70 years of independence, we had 70 active airports. With Udan, we will make 80 more airports active within a year. Whatever we have achieved since independence is literally being doubled. That's the power of an idea," the minister said.
Civil Aviation secretary R N Choubey said the ministry may not allow Air Deccan and Air Odisha to participate in the second round of bidding fights if they do not start Udan flights allotted in the first round by December 15 and January 15.
Before the second round of bidding, the ministry had unveiled new norms to attract more airlines to operate services in Jammu and Kashmir, north-eastern states, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The aim was to increase the services to these states whose aviation potential has not yet been fully utilised.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has relaxed the norms of Udan or RCS for these states and union territories. While an RCS airport in priority area can have 14 departures per week, it should be seven for other RCS routes.
