AGARTALA, January 13 (TIWN): On the burning issue of flight disruptions, cancellation at Tripura, the Tripura govt. to seek 16 more flights for daily service during a meeting at New Delhi on January 13 called by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. Resident Commissioner, Delhi Tripura Bhawan J.K. Sinha will represent Tripura and the meeting will be chaired by the Joint secretary (Ministry of Civil Aviation), said Transport secretary Samarjit Bhowmik. Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has called all the private airlines alongwith the Air India during the meeting on Tuesday. Talking to the reporters here at the civil secretariat on Monday evening, Transport secretary Samarjit Bhowmik said that the Tripura govt. would seek 16 more flights for daily service at Agartala airport during a meeting called by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India on January 13 at New Delhi. Adding to that, Secretary Bhowmik said that Tripura passengers had been suffering from erratic flight cancellations, adding thorns to the hurdle, the air travel agencies of the capital city have been fluctuating air fares. Therefore the fluctuation of fare issues also will be raised during the Tuesday's meeting, said Bhowmik.

Secretary Bhowmik mentioned that at present a total of 9 flights are operating its daily service at Agartala airport with Spice Jet having its additional 1 flight that sometimes gets cancelled and take the number to rest at 8. Indigo at present have 5 flights in service, Spice Jet – 2 with additional 1 flight and Air India have 1 flight in daily service in Agartala- Kolkata route and vice versa, said Bhowmik today. He further added that annually 8 lakh passengers are traveling abroad from Agartala.

However it is mentionable here that the worst condition of the NH-44 road along with the halt of the Agartala train service has badly hit the Tripura passengers, due to which traveling through air has become more preferable recently, but the flight cancellation and the fluctuate price of the air fare has become another hurdle for the passengers here in Tripura.