BY TC News Desk
Agartala, September 05, 2023: The state government of Tripura has decided to revive the Kailashahar airport, which has been lying unused for many years, as part of its efforts to boost air connectivity and tourism in the region. The state transport minister Sushanta Chowdhury visited the airport on August 01 and held a meeting with local MLAs and officials to discuss the modalities of reopening the airport.
A high-level delegation from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), a statutory body under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, also inspected the airport on September 04 and met with the Transport minister Chowdhury at the Secretariat here on Tuesday.
The delegation included North-East Region Joint General Manager Debadulal Chowdhury, Joint General Manager (Civil) Tapas Kumar Dey, AGM (Civil) Headquarters Manoj Bharadwaj, Senior Manager CNS Divya Jyoti Pal, Chief Security Officer and Land In-charge Agartala SK Roy, Agartala Airport Director Kailaschandra Meena, Secretary Uttam Kumar Chakma and Commissioner Subrata Chowdhury of state’s Transport department were present in this discussion with the Transport Minister.They discussed various important issues related to air services, including the re-opening of Kailashahar airport.
According to sources, two airlines, Spice Jet and Alliance Air, have expressed their interest in operating flights from Kailashahar. However, due to the lack of small aircraft of Spice Jet, only Alliance Air’s small aircraft will be able to fly from the airport, as the existing runway is not suitable for large aircraft.
The sources also said that the AAI has planned to reopen the airport in two phases. In the first phase, the existing runway will be repaired and upgraded to accommodate small aircraft. In the second phase, the airport will be expanded and modernized with a larger runway for landing large aircraft. The AAI officials are expected to visit Kailashahar several more times in connection with the renovation and re-opening of the airport.
The state transport minister expressed his optimism about the project and said that it will benefit the people of Kailashahar and nearby areas by providing them with better air connectivity and opportunities for tourism and trade. He also thanked the AAI for their cooperation and support in this endeavour.
