Many would find it difficult to believe that you could enjoy a 50-minute flight from Lilabari to Tezpur in Assam for a mere Rs 150. Interestingly, air tickets are available for less than Rs 1000 on numerous other routes too. These flights operate under the government’s regional air connectivity scheme that offers tickets that are extremely cheaper alongside other incentives too. As per the details shared by the travel portal Ixigo, there are at least 22 routes in India, including Kochi, that feature base airfare below Rs 1000. The flights on these routes are operated by Alliance Air. It must be noted that a convenience charge too would be added to the base fare while booking the ticket.
Most flights that come under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) typically have a duration of approximately 50 minutes. A major portion of these routes with the base airfares ranging from Rs 150 – 199 are in the North Eastern region. The base ticket price is set at Rs 400 for flights to and from Guwahati and Shillong. Meanwhile, in the southern part of the country, tickets for Bengaluru – Salem and Cochin – Salem routes too are available for less than Rs 1000. The airfare for flights between Imphal and Aizawl, Dimapur and Shillong and Shillong – Lilabari is Rs 500. Meanwhile, the base ticket price for the Bangalore-Salem route is Rs 525. Moreover, tickets are available on the Guwahati – Pasighat route for Rs 999 and Rs 954 in the Lilabari – Guwahati route. As per the reports of the Airport Authority of India, 559 air routes have been made operational, as of March 31, 2024, under the Regional Connectivity Scheme or UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik).
However, some of these routes have low demand; besides, alternative transport options are available here which keep people away from flights. The central government, state governments and the airports too are encouraging the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). The scheme aims to attract more people to air travel by offering tickets at extremely affordable rates. Besides, the incentives also include waiving the landing and parking charges for flights operating under the scheme. The Ministry of Civil Aviation introduced the UDAN project on October 21, 2016, with the goal of increasing regional air connectivity as well as making air travel affordable for the common people. The first flight under this scheme was flagged off on April 27, 2017. Air connectivity has been made possible in more than 29 states/union territories since 425 new routes were introduced under the UDAN project. However, there have been criticisms that the lack of basic facilities in small airports and low demand for some of the routes pose challenges to the UDAN project.
