Flights between India’s Tripura and Dhaka, Ctg set to begin in a few months

Flights between Dhaka, Chattogram and Agartala, capital city of the northeastern Indian state of Tripura, are expected to begin in a few months.

“Finally, MBB (Maharaja Bir Bikram) Airport in Agartala is now set to have international flight service with Dhaka and Chittagong. My heartfelt thanks to Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji & Civil Aviation Minister Shri @JM_Scindia ji for this initiative to fulfil the dream of the people of Tripura,” Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb tweeted on Saturday.

An official told our New Delhi correspondent that the flights on Agartala-Dhaka and Agartala-Chattogram could start in six months.

“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 relation between two countries,” Deb said in a separate post.

A senior Tripura official said India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation will soon float tenders inviting expression of interest from private airlines wishing to operate on Agartala-Dhaka and Agartala-Chattogram routes.

The Indian Civil Aviation Ministry has included the proposed international routes under a special regional connectivity scheme, Sanjoy Mishra, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Chief Minister Deb, said.

MBB Airport Director Rajiv Kapoor said Chief Minister Deb has taken up with Indian Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia the commencement of international flights from the airport at the earliest.

“Right now, I cannot say when the international flight services will start from the MBB 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.