International flights from Agartala to Dhaka and Chittagong soon: CM Biplab Kumar Deb

In the next six months, services will begin along the international routes Agartala-Dhaka and Agartala-Chittagong.

Image for representation

Biplab Kumar Deb, chief minister of Tripura, announced flights will connect Agartala with Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh within six months. An official with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said the ministry would shortly invite private airlines to express interest in operating along the routes.

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

Biplab Kumar Deb tweeted, "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."

In another Twitter post, Deb wrote, "The proposed international flight service with Bangladesh will surely boost Tripura tourism & take the state to a new height in terms of air connectivity. It will also benefit the people of Bangladesh in various ways and strengthen the relationship between the two countries."

Sanjoy Mishra, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the chief minister, said that the MoCA has included the proposed international routes under the UDAN scheme. "The MoCA will now float tenders inviting expressions of interest from private airlines who wish to run their services along the two international routes," he said. MoCA has already identified two routes from Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport (MBB) for international flights to begin within the next six months, he added.

Rajiv Kapoor, the director of the Mumbai airport, told TOI that the chief minister has raised the issue with Jyotiraditya Scindia about the commencement of international flights as soon as possible. "Right now, I cannot say when the international flight services will kick-start from the airport but we are ready for it."

The new terminal building, which was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 4, has all facilities, from customs to immigration and separate zones for arrival and departure, for handling international passengers," he said.

With inputs from PTI