Agartala Airport

Agartala Airport
আগরতলা বিমানবন্দর
IATA: IXA – ICAO: VEAT
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner/Operator Airports Authority of India
Serves Agartala, Tripura, India
Location Singerbhill
Elevation AMSL 47 ft / 14 m
Coordinates 23°53′24″N 091°14′32″E / 23.89000°N 91.24222°E / 23.89000; 91.24222
Website www.aai.aero
Map
IXA
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
18/36 7,500 2,286 Asphalt
Statistics (2014)
Passenger movements 601,146(Increase2,62%)
Aircraft movements 7,845
Source: AAI,[1][2]

Agartala Airport (IATA: IXA, ICAO: VEAT) is a domestic airport located 12 km (6.5 nautical miles) northwest of the city of Agartala, the capital of the state of Tripura in India. It is administered by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).[3] It is the third busiest domestic airport in northeast India after Imphal[4] and is proposed to be upgraded as an International Airport. A modern Air Traffic Control tower is being set up for the purpose.[5][6] Presently IndiGo operates 4, SpiceJet 3 and Air India operates 1 daily scheduled passenger flight to & from this airport.

History

The airport was designed and built in 1942 by the Maharaja of Tripura Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur.[7] It had one primary runway, 05/23, which is now used as a taxiway to Runway 18/36.

During World War II, the airport was used by the 4th Combat Cargo Group (4th CCG) of the United States Army Air Forces Tenth Air Force, flying Curtiss C-46 Commando transport aircraft over Burma. The airport was used as a supply point from which the unit air-dropped pallets of supplies and ammunition to the advancing Allied forces on the ground.[8]

The 4th CCG operated from the airport during December 1944 and January 1945, after which it moved to Chittagong.

In 2015, Airports Authority of India started the upgradation of airport to international standards.[9]

The airport's control tower
Air India Taxing in runway 18-36
Agartala Airport

Connectivity with the city

Bus: Agartala Airport is approximately 11.5 km away from the main bus stand of the city. One can find a good number of private buses, one can also hire auto-rickshaws.[10]

Rail: Railway connection is limited to Agartala Railway Station located approximately 15.4 km from the airport.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger Airlines

AirlinesDestinations
Air IndiaKolkata
Air India RegionalKolkata
IndiGoBangalore, Coimbatore, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Kolkata
SpiceJetBangalore, Chennai, Guwahati, Kolkata

Accidents and incidents

See also

References

  1. ↑ "TRAFFIC STATISTICS - DOMESTIC & INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS" (jsp). Aai.aero. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  2. ↑ List of busiest airports in India by passenger traffic
  3. ↑ Civil Airport Agartala at Airports Authority of India
  4. ↑ Traffic stats for 2015
  5. ↑ http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/agartala-airport-to-be-made-international-airport_1504063.html
  6. ↑ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-02-07/news/47126400_1_agartala-airport-cpi-the-airport-authority
  7. ↑ tiprasa.com/article/viewcomm/asp?identity=701
  8. ↑ Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4
  9. ↑ Upgradation of Agartala airport to start in Feb 2016: Minister
  10. ↑ http://www.theindiatravelguide.com/test/agartala.htm
  11. ↑ http://www.aviation-safety.net/database/airport/airport.php?id=IXA

External links

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 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

Picture gallery

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