Tripura to get direct flights to Dhaka, Chittagong under UDAN scheme

The international flight services between Tripura and Bangladesh will boost the scope of tourism in the state and enhance cordial relations between the two countries, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said.

The new terminal building is being built at Rs 500 crore and is part of AAI's Rs 3,400-crore initiative to develop airports and airfields across different northeastern states. (File)

Tripura is set to get connected with Bangladesh cities Dhaka and Chittagong through direct flights from Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport in Agartala as the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has given a nod to the routes under the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme, a regional airport development programme of the central government.

“Finally, MBB Airport in Agartala is now set to have international flight service with Dhaka & Chittagong. My heartfelt thanks to Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji & Civil Aviation Minister Shri @JM_Scindia ji for this initiative to fulfill the dream of the people of Tripura,” Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb tweeted on Saturday.

Finally, MBB Airport in Agartala is now set to have international flight service with Dhaka & Chittagong.

My heartfelt thanks to Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji & Civil Aviation Minister Shri @JM_Scindia ji for this initiative to fulfill the dream of the people of Tripura. https://t.co/h3riysSGtF

— Biplab Kumar Deb (@BjpBiplab) February 19, 2022

Apart from these two, Guwahati-Bangkok, Guwahati-Dhaka, Guwahati-Kathmandu, Guwahati-Yangon, Guwahati-Hanoi, Imphal-Mandalay, Imphal-Bangkok, Imphal-Kunming, Bhubaneswar-Bangkok, Bhubaneswar-Abu Dhabi and Bhubaneswar-Singapore are some of the other routes proposed from various eastern and northeastern airports in India under the UDAN scheme.

The MBB airport, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the now-functional new terminal building on January 4, is currently the second busiest airport in northeast India with close to 1.8 million passengers in 2019, following Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport of Guwahati.

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The airport’s history dates back to 1942 when it was built as a military airstrip on a piece of land donated by the then king of Tripura – Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Bahadur. The airport was renamed after him in July 2018.

The new terminal building is being built at Rs 500 crore and is part of AAI’s Rs 3,400-crore initiative to develop airports and airfields across different northeastern states.

The new terminal is expected to handle 4-5 times more passengers than the existing one, which was commissioned in 2001 with a maximum capacity of 500 passengers including departures and arrivals.

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