Project on to make Agartala airport international, says AAI chairman

The chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI), R.K. Srivastava, has said that the Agartala airport is upgrading to international standards.

The Rs. 426-crore project is expected to boost the northeast region's connectivity with Southeast Asia.

"All preliminary works have been completed. We will soon engage a project consultant to make Agartala airport world class," Srivastava told the media here after meeting Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

He said that the Northeastern Council of India will bear the cost of the project along with the AAI, adding that the Tripura Government has already handed over the required land.

The senior official, who arrived here after visiting Mizoram and Manipur, said that the AAI had already upgraded the Imphal airport to an international status.

He added that other abandoned as well as operational airports in the northeastern states will be developed after studying the viabilities, but currently there is no major airport-related project in the northeastern region.

Tripura's Transport Minister Manik Dey was also present during the meeting.

The Tripura Government has long been demanding operation of flights between the northeastern states and adjoining Bangladesh to boost trade, tourism and people-to-people contacts.

Currently, Guwahati and Imphal have two international airports in the mountainous northeastern region comprising eight states, including Sikkim.