Hailakandi, April 3: Silchar's Kumbhirgram airport has got permission of the defence ministry to allow flights to take off and land at night.

Earlier, the airport was allowed to operate till 6pm, but the defence ministry has given permission to operate flights till 8pm, sources said.

Necessary infrastructure to allow flights to take off and land at the airport at night had already been created and the authorities were waiting for permission from the defence ministry, a senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said.

One of the general secretaries of the BJP state committee, Rajdeep Roy, said the defence ministry's order had become effective on March 26. He said Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju informed him about this development in Guwahati on Friday.

Currently, Indian Airlines, SpiceJet and Jet Airways operate flights between Silchar and Calcutta and between Silchar and Guwahati till 3pm.

Roy said a few airliners are planning to introduce night flights to Silchar.

Chief security officer of Silchar airport P.K. Das said most of the impediments have been removed and 15 CISF personnel have reached while 10 more staff are required to start operating at night.

Silchar MP Sushmita Dev has expressed happiness at the defence ministry's order, but said a survey by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Services (BCAS) was required before starting night-landing operations.

The people of the Barak Valley, particularly patients, have been facing extreme difficulties because of the absence of night-landing facilities at Silchar.