A team of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) visited the Kailashahar Airport in Tripura’s Unakoti district to explore the feasibility of resumption of air service, officials said here on Wednesday. The airport located near the Indo-Bangla border has been shut down since the early 90’s on account of lack of adequate passengers.
The six-member AAI team led by joint general manager (Operations) Dubdulal Chowdhury on Tuesday inspected the old airport and also Hiracherra tea estate, an alternative place for setting up a greenfield airport in presence of District Magistrate (DM) of Unakoti, Uttam Kumar Chakma.
Later, they held a meeting with the DM, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Kailashahar, Shanti Ranjan Chakma and Vice-Chairperson of Kailashahar Municipal Council, Nitish Dey as part of a feasibility study on setting up a greenfield airport at Hiracherra tea estate instead of reviving the old airport.
The AAI team visited the old airport and the proposed site – Hirapur tea estate – to conduct a feasibility study on setting up a greenfield airport, the District Magistrate said.
“We had a detailed discussion on setting up a greenfield airport at Hiracherra tea estate because the old airport is so small and possibility of expansion is very remote because of land scarcity”, he said.
However, the AAI team is “not satisfied” with the possible site for establishing greenfield airport at Hiracherra tea estate because the place is hilly, which doesn’t suit the AAI’s guidelines for setting up a new airport, the DM said.
“They said they will submit a comprehensive report to the higher authority to take a final call on Kailashahar Airport”, Chakma added.
After visiting the proposed site, the AAI team told reporters that they will submit the report to the higher authority within the next few days.
On December 15 Tripura Chief Secretary Kumar Alok had said that he had a meeting with the Union Civil Aviation Secretary for setting up a greenfield airport at Kailashahar followed by a meeting between Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Union Civil Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Member of Parliament (MP), East Tripura Parliamentary Constituency, Rabati Tripura has already demanded before the Consultative Committee of DoNER for resumption of air service from Kailashahar and Kamalpur in Dhalai district under Udaan scheme.
