Airport Authority of India (AAI) on Wednesday informed that the Rupsi Airport in Kokrajhar district is ready to start commercial operations. The operations will begin soon after receiving the license from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The commercial flights will be operated under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) and UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik).
One of country’s newest in RCS routes, the airport will provide direct connectivity to cities like Guwahati and Kolkata. The airport will also benefit air travelers from Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Goalpara. Along with these, the neighboring states of West Bengal, Meghalaya and some parts of Bhutan will be benefited through this airport.
The construction of the Rupsi airfield was during the time of World War ll by the British. It was built to supply arms, ammunition and also manpower to the allied forces. The age old airstrip has been lying non-functional since the 1980s. Later Airports Authority of India and the Indian Air Force (IAF) started to revive the airfield.
The airport situated some 23 k.m.s from Dhubri town, has been re- developed at an estimated cost of Rs. 69 Crore. Spread across 337 acres, the newly developed airport has a terminal building measuring 3,500 sq.m.
Equipped with 10 check-in counters, the terminal is designed to manage about 200 passengers during peak hrs. The newly built runway will be suitable for landing ATR-72 type aircraft.
