India, Feb. 26 -- The Narendra Modi-led government launched UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) project in October 2016 to democratise air travel.

The idea was to inject life into several defunct regional airports, to create small and viable greenfield ones and to encourage regional airlines to taxi into the sector. More Indians should be able to fly, and not just those who live in metros and tier 2 cities, was UDAN's lofty aim. In fact, when UDAN was introduced by then civil aviation minister Jayant Sinha, ministry officials said it was more like "reaching for the stars" but agreed that the idea was well-intentioned.

Launched in 2016, UDAN has benefitted more than 1.4 crore passengers; 619 routes connecting 88 airports, including two water a...