Tripura Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury has urged Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu to intervene in the recent and proposed withdrawal or reduction of several flight services from Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport in Agartala, saying the situation has caused considerable inconvenience and concern among air passengers in the state.

In a letter to the Union minister, Chowdhury highlighted the withdrawal, reduction and proposed discontinuation of services by Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and Akasa Air on several important routes connecting Agartala with major cities across the country.

The minister stated that Air India has reduced its services and is likely to discontinue its Agartala-Guwahati operation from October 22. Air India Express has also withdrawn or reduced services on important sectors, while its Agartala-Bagdogra-Bengaluru service is reportedly set to be withdrawn.

He further pointed out that IndiGo’s direct Agartala-Hyderabad service is proposed to be discontinued from October 1, while Akasa Air is scheduled to withdraw its service from Agartala from October 22. Earlier, services on the Agartala-Shillong, Agartala-Aizawl and direct Agartala-Chennai routes had also been withdrawn.

According to Chowdhury, the reduction in flights has come at a time when demand for air connectivity from Agartala is steadily increasing. The decline in services has affected connectivity to major destinations and contributed to a sharp rise in airfares, particularly on the Agartala-Kolkata, Agartala-Delhi, Agartala-Guwahati and Agartala-Bengaluru routes.

The minister said the soaring fares and reduced availability of flights were creating financial hardship and inconvenience for passengers travelling for medical treatment, higher education, business, official work and other urgent purposes.

Chowdhury requested the Union Civil Aviation Minister to personally intervene and take up the matter with the concerned airlines. He urged that all possible measures be explored for restoration of withdrawn services, retention of existing operations and augmentation of capacity on high-demand routes from Agartala.

He also sought appropriate steps to curb the surge in airfares and ensure affordable and reliable air connectivity for the people of Tripura.