Key Takeaways
- AAI is leading the revival of the Kailashahar airport to boost regional connectivity.
- SpiceJet and Alliance Air have shown interest in operating flights from the airport.
- Northern Tripura, South Assam, Western Mizoram, and bordering towns of Bangladesh will benefit.
- Runway rehabilitation is the first phase before expanding for larger aircraft.
Agartala: An eleven-member delegation of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) led by North-East Regional Joint General Manager Debadulal Chowdhury visited the long-abandoned Kailashahar Airport in Tripura’s Unokoti district, followed by a meeting with the state administration to reopen the airport.
The Tripura government has undertaken the move, aiming to revitalise regional connectivity from Kailashahar to Guwahati and Kolkata via Silchar and Agartala to facilitate the passengers of the northern part of Tripura, South Assam, Western Mizoram, and northern bordering towns of Bangladesh.
The AAI delegation comprised operational experts and a technical team, including three from Delhi, three from Guwahati, and five from Agartala. They visited the abandoned airport and interacted with the local administration.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation will finalise the action plan, and necessary projects will be sanctioned to reopen the airport early next year.
The officials here informed that SpiceJet and Alliance Air have already expressed their willingness to start flight services from Kailashahar. However, due to the unavailability of suitable small aircraft from SpiceJet, Alliance Air’s smaller planes are slated to operate on this route initially.
In the initial phase, AAI will rehabilitate the existing runway to cater to small aircraft, and subsequently, AAI has a vision of expanding the airport to construct a modern facility equipped with larger runways capable of accommodating large aircraft, officials added.
