Agartala, June 13 (IANS) Passenger traffic at Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport in Agartala has increased by 68.53 per cent over the past 11 years, reflecting the rapid growth of Tripura’s aviation sector, officials said on Saturday.

MBB Airport Director K.M. Nehra said passenger traffic rose from around 8.9 lakh in 2014‑15 to nearly 15 lakh in 2025‑26. Aircraft movements also increased from about 7,000 annually to nearly 12,000 during the same period, he told the media.

The MBB Airport, now the second busiest in the Northeast after Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, has significantly expanded its connectivity. While scheduled flights in 2014 were largely limited to Kolkata and Guwahati, the airport now offers services to major destinations including Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Imphal, Kolkata and Guwahati, handling around 35 aircraft movements daily, Nehra said.

The official said the commissioning of a state‑of‑the‑art domestic cargo terminal in 2025, with an annual handling capacity of 40,000 tonnes, has strengthened the airport’s role as a logistics hub, facilitating transportation of agricultural produce, handicrafts, pharmaceuticals and other essential commodities.

The airport has also upgraded passenger facilities with the introduction of Digi Yatra, self‑service check‑in systems, free Wi‑Fi, childcare rooms, Udan Yatri Café, dedicated outlets promoting local handicrafts and several other passenger‑friendly amenities.

According to the MBB Airport Director, on the sustainability front, a 250 kW solar power plant commissioned in 2019 is generating nearly two lakh units of green energy annually. Another 60 kW solar plant became operational in 2025, while a 1,600 kW solar facility is planned by 2027. Together, these projects are expected to generate around 21 lakh units of electricity annually and save nearly Rs 2 crore in power costs, Nehra said.

Infrastructure development has also received a major boost with the inauguration of the New Integrated Terminal Building, capable of handling three million passengers annually. The expansion includes four passenger boarding bridges, seven aircraft parking bays, two taxiways and upgraded communication and navigation systems.

Nehra said the MBB Airport remained a vital lifeline during the Covid‑19 pandemic and the devastating floods that hit Tripura in August 2024 by ensuring the uninterrupted movement of essential supplies and facilitating relief operations.

He said the airport has evolved into a modern aviation hub, playing a key role in improving connectivity, promoting trade and tourism, generating employment and supporting Tripura’s socio‑economic development.

–IANS

sc/dan