Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced plans for the construction of nine additional airports in Uttar Pradesh within the next two years. Addressing queries during the question hour in the Rajya Sabha, Scindia emphasised the significant focus the Narendra Modi-led government places on the civil aviation sector. Highlighting the government's achievements, Scindia stated that while only 74 airports were built in the first 65 years of independence, the Modi government has successfully developed 75 airports, heliports, and waterdromes in the last nine years, bringing the total to 149. Furthermore, he noted that only three greenfield airports were constructed in the initial 65 years, compared to the 12 greenfield airports developed by the current government since 2014. Specifically addressing Uttar Pradesh, Scindia pointed out that only six airports were developed in the state over 65 years, with three additional airports completed in the last nine years. He went on to announce the government's commitment to constructing nine more airports in Uttar Pradesh within the next two years, bringing the total to 18. Responding to a query about the Meerut airport, Scindia explained that operations with ATR aircraft, utilising Visual Flight Rating (VFR), can commence once the state government allocates an additional 115 acres of land. He clarified that Meerut is currently an unlicensed airport identified during the third round of bidding under the UDAN scheme for development and RCS (Regional Connectivity Scheme) flight operations. Under the UDAN 4.2 round of bidding, the Meerut-Lucknow-Meerut route has been awarded to FlyBig for the operation of RCS flights using a 19-seater type of aircraft with a frequency of 133 seats per week, not for ATR 72 aircraft. Scindia stressed that RCS flights can only commence once the Meerut airport is ready, licensed, and operational, as per the conditions outlined for the Selected Airlines Operator.