Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport

Introduction

The Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, named in honor of the historian king of Tripura, Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur, was built in 1942, on the land he donated, which was adopted as a physical headquarters in World War II for the Royal Airforce, in favor of Great Britain.

The Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport is also referred to as the Agartala airport.

It is an international airport, situated in the North-East of Agartala, Tripura in India. Having been named the second on the list as the busiest airport in India, Northeast and the twenty-ninth, busiest airport in India, by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), in the area of conducting of aircraft, and passengers.  After Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport and Imphal Airport, the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport is also the third international airport in North-East India.

The Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport‘s New Terminal Building has six parking bays, conveyor belts, four aerobridges, 20 check-in counters, and passenger-friendly modern facilities and amenities.

Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport Code

Maharaja Bir Bikram airport has its distinguishable codes from the International Air Transport Association IATA and the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO.

The IATA code is a three-letter code, that designates local and international airports and metropolitan areas, around the world, and the ICAO code is a four-letter airport code, designating aerodromes around the world.Both codes are used by air traffic controls.

Maharaja Bir Bikram airport codes are thus, IATA, IXA, and ICAO, VEAT, respectively, and can be written as IATA : IXA and ICAO : VEAT.

Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport Agartala, Tripura

The Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, Agartala is located 20km north of Tripura City, Northeast India.

Agartala’s land in Tripura had been donated by the then Tripura kings.

During the Second World War, King Bir Bikram supported and helped the Allied powers, especially Great Britain. He deployed a contingent of the Tripura Army to assist Great Britain. During that time Agartala, Kailashahar, and other airports were built to facilitate the Allied powers.

 According to AAI official S. Haokip Jempu, the Agartala airport was used as a physical base for the Royal Air Force, during World War II when the Allied Forces took on the Japanese soldiers in Arakan Ranges, in Burma, now Myanmar.

He also mentioned that the first known flight which took off from the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport was Curtiss C-46 Commando transport aircraft of 4th Combat Cargo Group (4th CCG) of the United States which flew to Burma (Myanmar) during World War II in December 1944 and January 1945.

With the recent inauguration of the New Integrated Terminal Building, (NITB), by Prime minister Narendra Modi, on the 4th of January, 2022. Maharaja Bir Bikram airport, Agartala Tripura, now serves as a Landmark, and has full potential to have over 3 million passengers per annum. Designed to handle 1,000 domestic, and 200 international passengers, the terminal has a built-up area of 30,000sq meters, equipped with all modern amenities.

Thanks to the New Integrated Terminal Building, (NITB), the airport will be able to handle 1500 passengers(3 times its previous capacity). It has the inline baggage screening technology ILBS, which allows a hassle-free luggage drop, and the number of check-in counters has been raised to 20. It also features 6 parking spaces and 4 aerobridges.

Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport 

The proposal for the renaming of Agartala Airport, from Singerbill airport to Maharaja Bir Bikram airport in Tripura, was approved by the union cabinet, in honor of Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore. Hence, its present name is Maharaja Bir Bikram airport.

Conclusion

The Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport is a blend of Tripura’s culture, natural beauty, and modern facilities. It has state-of-the-art infrastructure and can handle about three million passengers each year. Quoting the prime minister, the Maharaja Bir Bikram airport will play a big role in enhancing air connectivity in the North East, and progressing in full earnest to make Tripura the gateway to the North East, turning Tripura into a new hub of business and industry as well as a trade corridor.

It remains the busiest airport in the northeast and provides crucial air connectivity to Tripura.