First international flight service from Agartala next month, says Tripura minister

AGARTALA — The first ever international flight service from the airport here to Bangladesh’s Chittagong is set to begin next month, Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said.

Low-cost carrier SpiceJet will introduce its flight service from Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport here to Chittagong by the first week of June as necessary clearances for immigration and customs are expected to be approved by this time, he said during a press conference on Tuesday.

The development came days after Chief Minister Manik Saha met Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in Delhi and requested him to boost the air connectivity in the northeastern state.

“In a letter written to the chief minister, Scindia ji on Tuesday informed the steps taken by his ministry for boosting air connectivity in Tripura,” Chowdhury said, adding, “the central minister also stated that Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) was asked to resurvey the security arrangement for flight service from MBB airport at night”.

Around 143 CISF personnel are additionally required to introduce night flight service from the airport here, he said.

On the demand for introducing direct flights from Agartala to Mumbai and Hyderabad routes, Chowdhury said, “The union minister made it clear that the ministry can’t ask any airline to introduce flight service on particular sectors”.

Citing the letter, Chowdhury said the civil aviation ministry has already “shortlisted Kailashahar airport among 50 facilities for air connectivity under the Regional Connectivity Scheme in response to the chief minister’s request.

The state has decided to install a bronze statue of Maharaja Bir Bikram at the new terminal building which was built at INR 520 crore.

“The present statue of Maharaja Bir Bikram is installed at the old terminal building which cannot be shifted to the new one. That’s why the state will lay a new bronze sculpture of the Maharaja Bir Bikram with a cost of INR 25 lakh,” he said.

Agartala Arts College has been assigned to make a bronze statue of Maharaja, he added.