Agartala, Nov. 19: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken a Rs 300-crore project to upgrade the Agartala airport in Tripura to international standard by 2016, officials said here today.
“Within 36 months, the modernisation projects of the airport will be completed. The Rs 300-crore project has already been sent to AAI board of directors for approval,” member AAI board (planning), Sudhir Raheja, told reporters here. “After execution of the proposed modernisation project, the Agartala airport will be able to handle 1,000 passengers per hour.”
The Agartala airport is the second busiest one in the northeastern region after Guwahati in Assam. Nearly 22 flights operate to and from Agartala everyday carrying about 2,700 passengers.
It will be the third airport of international standard after Guwahati and Imphal.
Imphal’s Tulihal airport has recently been declared an international airport after its latest modernisation.
The Agartala airport modernisation project involved upgrading the runway and aprons, construction of six aerobridges, three elevators and two escalators besides walkways that connect the international arrival and departure levels.
Raheja, accompanied by AAI’s executive director Kalpana Shethy and other officials, held meetings with chief Minister Manik Sarkar, transport minister Manik Dey and top state government officials and discussed the execution of the project. The official said the AAI would also take up projects to develop two abandoned airports in Kailashahar and Kamalpur in West and North Tripura to handle medium-sized aircraft. The AAI officials also visited Kailashahar and Kamalpur airports by helicopter for an on-the-spot study. An additional Rs 100 crore will be required for the upgrade of both airports.
“Of the total number passengers travelling in the Northeast by aircraft, 16 per cent travel through Agartala airport. By 2020-21, the number of will rise to 10 lakh,” Raheja added.
The Tripura government has earlier urged the civil aviation ministry to operate flights from Agartala airport to Bangladesh and adjoining countries to boost trade and tourism.
A state government official said civil aviation minister Ajit Singh had recently assured chief minister Manik Sarkar that his ministry would examine the issue of operating flights from Agartala to cities in Bangladesh and neighbouring countries.
“There is considerable movement of people between the northeastern states and Bangladesh and there is a lot of demand for connectivity between Agartala, Dhaka and Chittagong and other cities of that country for better relations between the two neighbours,” the official quoted Sarkar as saying during a meeting with Singh in New Delhi earlier this month.
The airports are being made international as part of India’s Look East policy to boost the Northeast’s connectivity and trade with Southeast Asia.
The first part of the project to upgrade the airport to international standards has been sanctioned. International flight operations form the second part of the project.
