New Delhi, Apr 27 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday the UDAN regional connectivity scheme will make air travel accessible to greater number of people across the country.

"Looking forward to being in Shimla, where I will flag off the first UDAN flight under Regional Connectivity Scheme, on Shimla-Delhi sector," Modi tweeted.

"UDAN makes air travel accessible to a wider range of citizens and enhances connectivity with many more airports across India," he said.

Modi said the inaugural UDAN flights on Kadapa-Hyderabad and Nanded-Hyderabad sectors will also be flagged off.

The UDAN Scheme is a key component of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) which was released on June 15 last year. Airfare for a one hour journey of approximately 500 km on a fixed wing aircraft or for a 30 minute journey on a helicopter would be capped at Rs 2,500.

Air India subsidiary Alliance Air, which will operate the Delhi-Shimla flight, has put the fare at Rs 2,036.

On March 30, 2017, the central government under the scheme awarded contracts to five companies to operate flight services on 128 routes that will connect 70 airports.