Agartala, Feb 21 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Tripura, Manik Saha, convened a significant review meeting on Saturday aimed at revitalizing the long-abandoned Kailashahar Airport, situated in the Unakoti district headquarters, according to officials.

An official from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) reported that during this meeting, Chief Minister Saha urged the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to take immediate steps to restore the airport and recommence flight services.

The Chief Minister also instructed AAI officials to send a technical and operational team for an onsite evaluation of the Kailashahar Airport, which is positioned approximately 140 km north of Agartala.

He requested the prompt submission of a detailed feasibility study that would assess Kailashahar alongside Kamalpur and Khowai Airports, including land availability and any other limitations.

“The report is expected to provide a thorough analysis of the commercial, technical, and financial advantages and disadvantages of each airport,” stated the CMO official.

The review meeting focused on the strategy for rejuvenating the Kailashahar Airport, which has been non-operational for several years.

Both Kamalpur and Khowai Airports have similarly been closed for decades.

Senior officials from AAI, including Gyan Batra, Executive Director for the North Eastern Region, and Krishnamohan Nehra, Director of Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, were present at the meeting to discuss necessary steps for the swift resumption of services.

Key topics of discussion included runway expansion, the establishment of modern infrastructure, and the capacity to accommodate larger aircraft, such as those from Airbus.

Chief Minister Saha emphasized that subsequent actions would be taken by the state government based on the feasibility report, in consultation with the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and other relevant ministries.

AAI representatives assured that a technical team would soon visit Kailashahar to investigate detailed operational and engineering factors.

Both the state government and AAI committed to collaborating closely to facilitate the airport's reopening.

Transport Department Secretary Uttam Kumar Chakma and Transport Commissioner Subrata Chowdhury also attended the meeting.

The Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala is recognized as the second busiest airport in the Northeast, following the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati.

Historian and author Pannalal Roy noted that the land for Agartala, Kailashahar, and several other now-defunct airports in Tripura was donated by the former royal family of the state.

“During World War II, Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur supported the Allies, particularly Great Britain, and sent a contingent of the Tripura Army to aid them. Airports at Agartala, Kailashahar, and other locations were constructed to support the Allied forces,” Roy, who has penned multiple texts on Tripura's royal heritage, revealed to IANS.

He added that in 1943, Japanese fighter planes attacked the Agartala airport twice, located near the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura.