Evaluating India’s Regional Connectivity Scheme for long-term policy effectiveness

The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), part of NITI Aayog, regularly commissions independent evaluations of major Government of India programmes. Through a competitive process, DMEO appointed Steer to undertake an evaluation of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS/UDAN) — India’s flagship initiative to expand affordable air travel and strengthen regional aviation infrastructure.

The evaluation was undertaken against a backdrop of rapid growth in India’s domestic aviation market, alongside a long-standing concentration of air traffic in Tier-1 cities. RCS was designed to improve access for people and places historically underserved or unserved by commercial aviation, supporting more inclusive and geographically balanced connectivity across the country.

Our approach

We combined analytical rigour, extensive fieldwork and international best practice to deliver a comprehensive assessment of the Scheme’s performance and future potential.

Our work included:

• A structured evaluation framework, using the REESI+E approach to assess relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, impact and equity.
• In-depth secondary analysis, drawing on literature and policy reviews, market and operational data, financial flows, airport development records and benchmarking against international regional connectivity programmes.
• Extensive primary research, using a mixed-methods approach across more than 15 RCS airports. This included passenger surveys, focus group discussions with local communities, and interviews with a wide range of stakeholders, including airlines, airport operators, retailers, regulators, policy makers and State government departments.
• An indicator-based assessment, mapping each evaluation objective to clear, measurable criteria to provide a transparent, evidence-led view of performance.
• A prioritised improvement roadmap, developed by identifying key themes and gaps, and testing potential interventions against impact, feasibility and delivery timescales.

The impact

The evaluation provided DMEO with a robust, independent evidence base to inform future policy decisions for regional aviation in India. It delivered clear insight into how the Scheme is operating in practice, the factors shaping its performance, and the actions that could strengthen accessibility, affordability, effectiveness and long-term sustainability.

The work has equipped DMEO, NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Civil Aviation with a structured platform for ongoing learning and improvement, helping ensure that RCS continues to evolve in line with India’s rapidly growing and diversifying aviation market.

How we can help

From shaping national policy and evaluating major public programmes to assessing commercial potential, operational performance, and long-term investment at regional airports, Steer brings the analytical rigour, sector expertise, and on-the-ground insight needed to support confident, evidence-led decision-making.

Talk to Sanuj Mittal to explore how we can support your next challenge.