Agartala: Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury is hopeful that a direct flight between Agartala and the port city of Chittagong in Bangladesh will soon be in operation.
“We are hopeful that flight connectivity between Agartala and Chittagong will start soon,” Chowdhury said, adding that he is likely to visit New Delhi to meet the Ministry of Civil Aviation minister and fine tune the modalities for the first international flight from Tripura.
“We are working in close coordination with the AAI to ensure that the international airport is equipped with required facilities,” the minister said.
In August 2022, Tripura government had formally approved a proposal to start international flights with Bangladesh.
To sustain the direct air connectivity between Agartala and Chittagong, Tripura government will spend ₹ 15 crores every year as gap funding, the minister said.
There will be three flights between Chittagong and Agartala every week, where ticket prices have been set at ₹ 4,500 per passenger.
As full occupancy isn’t expected in the first few years of operation, Trpura government decided to pay ₹ 15 crores annually as viable gap funding to subsidize 50 percent of the operational cost shortfall in the first three years of operation.
Tripura government has also proposed direct flights to Dhaka and other popular destinations like Bangkok, Singapore, and Malaysia, the minister claimed.
In addition to direct air connectivity, Tripura will soon have direct rail link with Bangladesh.
“We now have an international airport, soon there will be Indo-Bangla railway connectivity from Nischintapur, and there will be waterways connectivity as well,” Chowdhury said.
