Flying from Maharashtra’s smaller cities is getting a major government boost, with the state receiving ₹632.29 crore under India’s UDAN regional connectivity scheme - the second-highest amount in the country after Karnataka’s ₹823.73 crore. The funding supports air links to underserved destinations including Nashik, Sindhudurg, Jalgaon, Kolhapur, Solapur and Amravati, while 95 airports, 17 heliports and two water aerodromes have already been developed nationwide under the programme. UDAN has now been extended to 2036, with plans to connect 120 new destinations, upgrade 100 unused airstrips and build 200 modern helipads. The idea is simple but ambitious: make flying from smaller cities feel less like an exception and more like ordinary transport.