Agartala: Passenger footfall at Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport in Agartala has "almost doubled" in the last 12 years with the induction of more flights to different destinations, an official said on Saturday.
MBB Airport is the second busiest airport in the northeast, the official said.
"The number of passengers using the airport has received a major boost after the inauguration of the new terminal building. Passenger footfall has increased from 8 lakh annually in 2014 to 15 lakh during 2025-26 FY, which is almost double," Airport Director, K M Nehra said at a press conference.
Currently, 34 flights operate in and out of MBB airport daily, ferrying around 5,000 passengers every day.
"Earlier (2014), flight operations were confined only to Guwahati and Kolkata, but now the airport is connected with several cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Imphal and Bagdogra", he said.
Nehra said there is a need to introduce direct flight service from Agartala to Mumbai and Chennai, as many students and professionals are residing there.
'DG Yatra', a new digital service for passengers, has been introduced to ensure the seamless movement of flyers, and dedicated manpower will be deployed to assist passengers in using it.
On the operation of international flight services, Nehra said the airport authorities are ready.
"Separate provision for immigration, security, arrival and departure lounges is available at the MBB airport's new terminal building. It can be started at any point of time", he said.
On the opening of Kailashahar airport in Unakoti district, Nehra said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already sought 20 acres of land from the state for expansion of the existing facility.
"The AAI wants to make it an all-weather airport, for which we need at least 20 acres of land. We are still working on the project, but additional land is required", he said.
The Kailashahar airport has been shut since 1990.
