Lifeline UDAN: 180 flights carried 258.24-tonne cargo till April 9 amid coronavirus COVID-19 lockdown, says Aviation Ministry

The Aviation Ministry started the 'Lifeline UDAN' scheme for the transport of essential goods through aerial routes till April 14 to combat the coronavirus pandemic

New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Ministry on Friday (April 10) said that a total of 180 flights have operated since the beginning of the 21-day COVID-19 lockdown under the 'Lifeline UDAN' scheme carrying 258.24 tonnes of cargo. 

The ministry started the 'Lifeline Udan' scheme for the transport of essential goods through aerial routes till April 14 to combat the coronavirus pandemic, said a statement from the ministry.

"Over 180 flights have been operated under 'Lifeline UDAN' during COVID-19 lockdown, out of which 114 were operated by Air India and Alliance Air. Fifty-eight flights were operated by the IAF," the ministry said, adding that total 13 flights were operated under the scheme, carrying 10.22 tonnes of cargo. 

Earlier on April 8, the ministry stated that Lifeline UDAN flights transported 39.3 tons of medical supplies across the country on 7th April 2020. 

"Total cargo transported by these flights is around 240 tons during Covid-19 lockdown. 161 flights have been operated under Lifeline UDAN till date covering 1,41,080 Kms. Out of these, 99 flights were operated by Air India and Alliance Air while 54 were operated by IAF," it said. 

On international route, on 7th April 2020, Air India brought 6.14 tons of medical equipment from Hong Kong and further, Air India lifted 8.85 tons of supplies to Colombo.

Daily updates on Lifeline UDAN flights are also available on the dedicated Medical Air Cargo related website LIFELINE UDAN along with latest photographs. The link is available on the https://esahaj.gov.in/lifeline_udan. 

Details of fights and consignments are uploaded constantly by various agencies and government entities which enables planning to be done effectively by coordinating and collating various details from the portal. Based on any challenges faced by the users, the portal is being updated and modified to suit the requirements and serve the purpose.

Notably, Air India and IAF collaborated primarily for J&K, Ladakh, North-East and other island regions. Domestic Cargo operators including Blue Dart, Spicejet and Indigo are extending their services on commercial basis. 

Spicejet operated 203 cargo flights from 24 March – 7 April 2020 covering 2,77, 080 Kms and carrying 1647.59Tons of cargo. Out of these 55 were international cargo flights. Blue Dart operated 64 domestic cargo flights covering 62,245 Kms and carrying 951.73 Tons of cargo from 25 March – 7 April 2020. Indigo has also operated 8 cargo flights on 3 – 4 April 2020 covering 6103 Kms and carrying 3.14 tons of cargo.