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Agartala airport would be upgraded to international standards by 2016 at a cost of Rs 300 crore, Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey said today.
The work would be completed in 36 months and handle 1000 passengers per hour, he said.
The state government has long been demanding the declaration of Agartala airport as an international airport for connectivity to Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh as the trade between Bangladesh and the north-eastern region, especially Tripura, has increased manifold.
Second busiest
Agartala airport is the second busiest in the North-East after Guwahati and 22 flights operate from it every day carrying 2,700 passengers.
An Airports Authority of India (AAI) team led by Sudhir Raheja, member AAI board (Planning), conveyed this to Tripura Chief Minister during a meeting on Monday, Dey said adding Manik Sarkar assured him all cooperation.
He said a survey found that 16 per cent passengers of the region fly via Agartala airport and by 2021, the passengers’ number would cross 10 lakh per year.
Longer runway
The runway at Agartala airport would be made longer and upgraded. Aprons and aerobridges, elevators and escalators would be constructed to make walkways to connect international arrival and departure levels as part of the modernisation.
Altogether, 72 acres were acquired for construction of the new terminal building, he said.
The process for resettling 157 families whose land was being taken away has already started and there were no problems regarding land, Dey added.
Official sources said Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh during his recent meeting with Sarkar said his ministry was considering the state’s demand.
Modernisation
With Guwahati airport and Tulihal airport in Imphal declared as international airports earlier, Agartala airport is likely to be declared as one after its modernisation, the sources said.
The AAI team also made an aerial survey of two dump airports at Kailashahar in Unakoti district and Kamalpur in Dhalai district. The state government is pressing for re-opening of these airports and an additional Rs 100 crore would be required to develop them.
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