Agartala airport to be upgraded to international standards: AAI

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will spend Rs. 426 crore to upgrade Agartala airport to international standards.

'We have finished all ground work like survey etc. and will now engage a project consultant to elevate it to a world class airport,' AAI chairman R K Srivastava told reporters recently after meeting Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

Tripura Transport Minister Manik Dey said the state government has also urged the Centre to declare Agartala airport as an international one with flights to Dhaka and Chittagong in Bangladesh for trade and commerce between the two countries.

Dey, who was also present at the meeting of the AAI chairman and Sarkar, said Agartala airport would be made an international airport as part of India's Look East policy to increase trade and commerce in the North Eastern region and boost connectivity with Southeast Asian countries.

A master plan has been prepared for upgrading the airport and 72 acres of land acquired by the state government was handed over to AAI for expansion of the runway.

ET