New Delhi: The Centre has informed the Rajya Sabha that development work at four of the six airports identified under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN in Jharkhand has been completed, with Bokaro and Dumka airports now awaiting regulatory clearance before commercial flight services can begin.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha member Parimal Nathwani, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said the airports covered under the UDAN scheme in Jharkhand include Bokaro, Dumka, Jamshedpur, Hazaribagh, Deoghar and Daltonganj.
According to the minister, commercial flight operations are already underway from Jamshedpur and Deoghar airports. Infrastructure work at Bokaro and Dumka has also been completed, while the remaining two projects—Hazaribagh and Daltonganj—are yet to take off due to the non-availability of land from the state government.
The Centre said the lack of land has prevented construction work from beginning at Hazaribagh and Daltonganj, leaving both airport projects stalled.
The government also revealed that ₹122.04 crore has been sanctioned for airport development projects in Jharkhand in recent years, with ₹117.61 crore already spent on strengthening aviation infrastructure and improving regional air connectivity.
Although the Centre confirmed that Bokaro and Dumka airports are ready, it did not announce a timeline for the launch of commercial flights. However, official sources said the process of securing approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for flight operations is currently in progress.
Earlier this month, on July 4, 2026, the government rolled out a revamped version of the UDAN scheme. The new programme aims to connect 120 additional new or underserved airports and destinations across India over the next 10 years, providing affordable air travel to nearly 40 million people.
Launched under the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016, the UDAN scheme was designed to improve regional air connectivity by linking Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. The initiative supports airlines through financial incentives and Viability Gap Funding (VGF), enabling them to operate regional routes while keeping airfares affordable.
With inputs from IANS