Mumbai, Sept. 26 -- The Andhra Pradesh government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Civil Aviation for implementing the Modified UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) Scheme in the state. The agreement was formalised in New Delhi in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol, ministry secretary Samir Kumar Sinha and Airports Authority of India chairman Vipin Kumar.
The Andhra Pradesh Airports Development Corporation signed the agreement on behalf of the state, making Andhra Pradesh the latest of 22 states and Union territories to join the initiative. The scheme was approved by the Union Cabinet for a 10-year period from FY27 to FY36, with a total outlay of Rs. 288.4 bn.
The programme is intended to expand affordable air travel, strengthen aviation infrastructure and improve connectivity to underserved and unserved regions. Its targets include 120 new destinations, 40 mn passengers, the development of 100 airports from unserved airstrips, and 200 modern heliports and helipads across the country.
The scheme has five components. Aerodrome development has been allocated Rs. 121.59 bn for upgrading unserved airstrips, while operation and maintenance support for regional airports, heliports and water aerodromes will receive Rs. 25.77 bn. Modern helipad development has an allocation of Rs. 36.61 bn, and viability gap funding for regional routes has been assigned Rs. 100.43 bn. The programme also includes support for indigenous aircraft and helicopters under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, including HAL Dhruv helicopters and HAL Dornier aircraft.
For Andhra Pradesh, the agreement creates opportunities to revive and develop eligible airports and airstrips, expand regional air services, establish water aerodromes and build heliport infrastructure. Officials said the scheme would improve accessibility across the state, while viability gap funding and operational assistance would support air services, tourism, trade and investment.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.