Agartala’s Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport Receives Grade II Upgrade
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Synopsis
The Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala has been upgraded from Grade III to Grade II by the AAI due to improved passenger traffic and infrastructure. Chief Minister Manik Saha expressed gratitude to PM Modi for his support in Tripura's development.
Key Takeaways
- MBB Airport upgraded to Grade II.
- Significant increase in airport staff.
- Plans for MBB Airport to become an international airport.
- Flights anticipated between Agartala and Chittagong.
- New terminal inaugurated by PM Modi.
Agartala, Jan 17 (NationPress) The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has elevated Agartala’s Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport from Grade III to Grade II due to increased passenger movement and infrastructure improvements, as announced by Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday.
Saha shared the AAI announcement on his Facebook, stating: "It is a matter of great pride that MBB Airport, Agartala has been upgraded from Grade-III to Grade-II based on the passenger movement and Infrastructure development."
He expressed his gratitude to Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi Ji for the continuous support towards the comprehensive development of Tripura.
As per the AAI notification, along with MBB, several other airports including those in Bhopal, Madurai, Surat, Udaipur, and Vijayawada were also upgraded from Grade III to Grade II.
A senior official from MBB airport, located 20 km north of Agartala, mentioned that with this upgrade, the rank of the Airport Director will transition from Joint General Manager to General Manager, with a significant increase in the current workforce.
"The MBB airport is the second busiest airport in the northeastern region, following Guwahati airport," the official informed IANS.
Recently, Tripura Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury declared that MBB Airport will soon be designated as an international airport by the Centre, with ongoing efforts to make two unused airports in the state operational.
Chowdhury noted that after MBB is declared an international airport, flights between Agartala and Chittagong in Bangladesh would be initiated, although the unrest in Bangladesh raises uncertainties about this plan.
Initially, it was intended for SpiceJet to operate flights on the Agartala-Chittagong route, and the Tripura government had allocated Rs 15 crore to the AAI for this purpose.
The state government had already paid Rs 3.85 crore to the AAI as an advance in December 2022, and had also assigned 25 police personnel to the Bureau of Immigration under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Chowdhury mentioned.
The Minister also highlighted the Civil Aviation Ministry’s initiatives to operationalize the Kailashahar and Kamalpur airports in northern Tripura, which are currently inactive.
On January 4, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a new integrated terminal at MBB Airport, constructed at a cost of Rs 438 crore.
Presently, MBB Airport operates 13 flights with an average of over 4,000 passengers daily.
The newly constructed terminal, covering an area of 30,000 sq mt, is designed to accommodate both domestic and international passengers simultaneously during peak hours.
In the northeastern region, the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati and the Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal currently hold international status.
Located 20 km north of Agartala, the airport, formerly known as Singerbill Airport, was renamed in July 2018 after Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur by the Union government. Initially constructed in 1942 on land donated by the then Tripura king, it served as a technical base for the Royal Air Force during World War II.
