Tripura Govt urges for immediate step on skyrocketing airfares between Agartala-Kolkata routes

Tripura government on Friday has raised its serious concerns over skyrocketing airfares on the Agartala-Kolkata route, which has significantly impacted travelers in the upcoming festival season.

Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury in a letter to the   Union Civil Aviation Minister, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, urging immediate intervention.

In the letter, Chowdhury highlights that airfares for the 327-kilometer aerial distance of flight between Agartala and Kolkata have surged to an alarming range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000. With the upcoming festive season, there are apprehensions that these prices may increase further, exacerbating the financial burden on the common people of Tripura.

Chowdhury in his letter stated that ‘the rising cost of air travel is causing considerable hardship for many and this issue was recently univocally highlighted by the members of Tripura Legislative Assembly, both the members of treasury bench and opposition bench, during the last Assembly session on September 5th. He also said that widespread media coverage, in all regional and national level newspapers, has drawn substantial criticism of the current irrational airfare structure.

The Government of Tripura has already reduced VAT on aviation turbine fuel from 16% to 1% in an effort to promote air travel within the region since November, 2021, said Chowdhury and added that  airlines are taking advantage of this reduction to expand services on other routes, such as those connecting Kolkata to major cities like Chennai and Bangalore, instead of providing benefits to travelers on the Agartala-Kolkata and Agartala-Guwahati routes. As a result, passengers from the North Eastern states continue to face exorbitant fares without any significant improvement in service.

Chowdhury’s letter calls for the Ministry of Civil Aviation to introduce a cap on the maximum airfare for the Agartala-Kolkata and Agartala-Guwahati routes. This step is seen as crucial to ease the financial burden on passengers and ensure equitable pricing across domestic flight sectors.

The Tripura government hopes that swift action by the Civil Aviation Ministry will provide relief to passengers and stimulate regional connectivity.

Chowdhury in another letter to the Civil Aviation Minister stated that under 4.2 bidding UDAN, routes connecting Kailashahar to Kolkata and Agartala were awarded to Alliance Air and Flybig respectively to operate flights with 17 and 19 seater aircraft and additional land free from encumbrances, is yet to be provided by the state government to Airport Authority of India (AAI) for the development of Kailashahar airport.

He said that as per the decision taken in a meeting under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, 72 seater aircraft would not be feasible at Kailashahar airport due to its runaway limitation, but 20 seater aircraft may start operation.

The AAI renovated the old terminal building and given the strategic importance of Kailashahar airport, the state government requested the union ministry to start flight operation of 17 or 19 seater aircraft from Kailashahar airport at first stage.