OCT 4: J&K Aviation/Airports plans reviewed with Union Secretary Civil Aviation Sh Samir Sinha , Chairman Airport Authority of India (AAI) Sh Vipin Kumar and other senior officers. Udhampur airport could initially begin operations with ATR 72-seater aircraft under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN), which would cap ticket fares at nearly half the prevailing market rates.
In other words, the air fare for a Delhi- Udhampur flight will be considerably and substantially lesser than a Delhi- Jammu flight, thus offering a huge incentive to even Jammu-bound passengers to take the Delhi-Udhampur air route. Under the UDAN scheme, a substantial part of the airfare is subsidised through viability gap funding.
This makes air flights more affordable, and would thus also bring Delhi–Udhampur fares substantially lower than the Delhi–Jammu route. Simultaneously, the Govt of J&K has been approached for transfer of additional land for construction of a new terminal, in order to enable bigger and other categories of air flights also to operate from the Udhampur airport.
For Kishtwar fresh feasibility and land assessment studies are being initiated to develop it under the UDAN scheme. Kishtwar, having been recently declared as an “Aspirational Agricultural District”, an airport there would boost the region’s economy, particularly the agricultural economy by helping local saffron cultivators and farmers reach wider markets.
Jammu airport is being upgraded at a cost of around ₹860 crore with timeline of June 2026. The expanded facility, part of a larger push to strengthen aviation infrastructure across the country, is expected to significantly enhance passenger handling capacity. Improving air connectivity in J&K is crucial not only for passenger convenience but also for economic growth, tourism and greater integration of the region with the national mainstream.
