On October 8, 2021, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, General (Retd) Dr. V.K. Singh launched a regional UDAN program of the Ministry of Civil Aviation in collaboration with FICCI and the State Government of Uttarakhand.

Key Points:

=> On this occasion the new terminal building of Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun in Uttarakhand was inaugurated and new flight routes were flagged off.

=> The new terminal building, developed with a project cost of Rs 325 crore, is spread over an area of 28,729 sqm and will be able to handle 1,200 passengers during peak hours, which will increase the airport's capacity by eight times.

=> Helicopter service for Dehradun- Haldwani- Pantnagar- Pithoragarh- Pantnagar- Haldwani- Dehradun sector and Chinyalisain- Sahastradhara- Chinyalisain sector was also flagged off on the occasion. The helicopter service will be provided by Pawan Hans and Heritage Aviation respectively.

=> The inauguration of heli routes in the Uttarakhand region is in line with the objective of the UDAN scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to enhance air connectivity to hilly areas in the country. 13 more helicopters have been identified in Uttarakhand to provide seamless air connectivity within the state.

=> On this occasion, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) along with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in collaboration with Government of Uttarakhand and Pawan Hans Limited organized the third edition of Helicopter Summit-2021 to promote the aviation services industry.

=> This year's theme is 'India@75: Expediting the Growth of Indian Helicopter Industry and Enhancing Air Connectivity'.