Agartala: Maharaja Bir Bikram airport director Krishan Mohan Nehra on Thursday said efforts were underway to persuade airlines to maintain or introduce services to Agartala, particularly during peak periods when flights frequently operate at full capacity.While the Airports Authority of India (AAI) launched a 24-day ‘Yatri Sewa Abhiyan’at the airport to mark PM Modi’s birthday, a senior state govt official said Agartala had a wider choice of carriers a decade ago, but withdrawal of low-cost and competitive airlines had left IndiGo with a dominant presence, resulting in higher fares and limited options.The state govt has approached the Union civil aviation ministry seeking additional flights from Agartala to Guwahati, Kolkata and Delhi. It has also sought a cap on airfares, citing Tripura’s remote location, but is yet to receive a favourable response.The airport currently handles 14 daily flights, down from 17 recently, and around 4,500 passengers on a daily basis. Passenger traffic is expected to rise to nearly 6,000 daily during the upcoming festival season.Flights to Hyderabad, previously operating five-days-a-week, have been reduced to three, while services to Delhi have also undergone changes.
