Agartala, February 07, 2024: Tripura MP Biplab Kumar Deb has demanded that the Agartala MBB airport be declared as an international airport and that the Agartala-Chittagong international flight be operationalized under the international flight scheme.

Deb raised these demands in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, while addressing the Union Civil Aviation Minister. He said that Tripura is an important gateway for travelers coming to the northeastern region and that the Agartala MBB airport has the necessary infrastructure and facilities to handle international passengers.

He mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the new terminal building of the airport on January 4, 2022, which has the capacity to handle 1000 interstate and 200 international passengers during peak hours. He also said that the airport has 20 check-in counters and an annual handling capacity of 30 lakh passengers.

Deb informed that the state government has paid Rs 18.85 crore to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to start international flight operations on the Agartala-Chittagong route, which would boost trade and tourism between the two countries.

He further said that the airport has instrument landing system and ground lighting facilities and that the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, had declared it as a Customs Checkpost on January 4, 2023. However, he added that the announcement from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, regarding the immigration check post at the airport is still awaited.

Deb urged the Parliament to ask the Civil Aviation Minister to talk to the Home Ministry and notify the immigration check post at the MBB airport soon and prioritize the process of declaring it as an international airport. He said that this would benefit the people of Tripura and the northeastern region as a whole.