For a mere Rs 150 as the base airfare, you can embark on a 50-minute flight from Lilabari to Tezpur. This route is not an exception; numerous other flights offer base ticket prices below Rs 1,000. These flights operate under the regional air connectivity scheme of the government, which offers various incentives to airline operators.
As per an analysis shared by travel portal ixigo with PTI, at least 22 routes feature base airfares below Rs 1,000 per person, with the lowest being Rs 150 for flights connecting Lilabari and Tezpur in Assam.
The cheapest one way base fare is Rs 150 for a flight to and from Lilabari to Tezpur (Assam). The flights are operated by Alliance Air. It is important to note that when booking a ticket, a convenience charge will be added to the base fare.
The Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) flights typically have a duration of approximately 50 minutes on most routes.
According to the analysis, a significant portion of the routes with base airfares ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 199 per passenger are located in the North East region. Additionally, there are routes in the southern part of the country, such as Bangalore-Salem and Cochin-Salem, where the base ticket prices fall within this range.
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For flights operating to and from Guwahati and Shillong, the base ticket price is set at Rs 400.
The airfare for flights between Imphal and Aizawl, Dimapur and Shillong, and Shillong and Lilabari is Rs 500. For the Bangalore-Salem route, the base ticket price is slightly higher at Rs 525.
Further analysis revealed that the base airfare for the Guwahati-Pasighat flight is Rs 999, while the Lilabari-Guwahati route has a base fare of Rs 954.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has revealed that as of March 31, 2024, a total of 559 routes have been made operational under the Regional Connectivity Scheme, also known as UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik). However, some of these routes have low demand, and alternative transport options exist that can reach the destinations in more than five hours, as stated by an industry executive.
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Under the RCS, the central government, state governments, and airport operators offer various incentives to encourage regional air connectivity and make air travel more accessible to the masses. These incentives include waiving landing and parking charges for flights operating on RCS routes.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation introduced UDAN on October 21, 2016, with the primary goal of stimulating regional air connectivity and making air travel more affordable for the common citizen. The scheme aims to connect smaller cities and towns across the country, fostering economic growth and development in these regions.





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