DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has sought the introduction of regular flight services from Dehradun to Prayagraj, Varanasi and Ayodhya.
The request, aimed at strengthening connectivity to key religious and cultural centres, has been taken up with the Union Civil Aviation Ministry. In a communication to the Chief Minister, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said the proposal has been shared with all scheduled domestic airlines for consideration.
According to the Minister, Dehradun is currently connected to major cities including Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Pune and Kullu, with a total of 254 weekly flights operated by carriers such as IndiGo, Alliance Air, Air India and Air India Express.
He noted that India’s domestic aviation sector operates under a deregulated framework, under which airlines are free to induct aircraft and determine routes based on operational and commercial considerations. “The decision to start or increase air services to or from any airport rests with the respective airline operators,” he said, adding that the Ministry has conveyed the State’s request to all domestic carriers.
Sources in the Chief Minister Office said that the State Government under Dhami is making sustained efforts to establish direct air connectivity between Dehradun and cities such as Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya, which are witnessing growing inflow of pilgrims and tourists. He expressed confidence that the proposed routes would enhance accessibility and benefit residents as well as visitors.
The development aligns with the recent Cabinet’s approval of the revamped UDAN scheme, which aims to expand air connectivity to underserved and remote regions while improving affordability and infrastructure.
Officials said the modified scheme cleared last month introduces targeted interventions to improve the viability of regional routes, particularly in low-demand and geographically challenging areas. The government will continue to provide viability gap funding (VGF) to incentivise airlines to operate on such routes, while also rationalising route allocation and strengthening the bidding mechanism.
“The focus is on connecting smaller cities and remote regions with major aviation hubs to promote balanced regional development,” an official said.
Since its launch in 2016, the UDAN scheme has operationalised hundreds of routes and connected several unserved and underserved airports, heliports and water aerodromes. The revised framework seeks to build on these gains by expanding the network further, especially in hilly States, the North-East and island regions.
The new policy also places emphasis on upgrading airport infrastructure, improving passenger amenities, and enhancing safety and navigation systems to support sustained growth in regional aviation.
Officials added that the scheme aims to promote a multimodal transport ecosystem by integrating air connectivity with road and rail networks, thereby ensuring seamless travel.
Experts noted that improved regional air connectivity can significantly boost tourism, trade and local economies, while reducing travel time and enhancing accessibility.
However, they pointed out that while policy support is crucial, the actual operationalisation of new routes will depend on airline participation and demand viability.
Against this backdrop, the proposed Dehradun–Prayagraj–Varanasi–Ayodhya routes are being seen as a test case for the effectiveness of the revamped UDAN scheme in translating policy intent into tangible connectivity on the ground.
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