About Agartala Airport
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).
It is the 2nd busiest airport in northeast India after Guwahati
and is proposed to be upgraded as an International Airport. A modern Air
Traffic Control tower is being set up for the purpose. 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. 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.
The 4th CCG operated from the airport during December 1944 and January 1945,
after which it moved to Chittagong.
In 2015, AAI started the upgraded work of Agartala Airport to meet the
international standards.
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