Rupsi Airport

History

• The Rupsi Airfield was constructed by the British during World War II to supply arms, manpower and ammunition to the Allied forces. It was used by the United States Army Air Forces Tenth Air Force in the China Burma India Theater. Regional airline Vayudoot used to operate services to the airport in the 1980s but withdrew services and the airport stopped functioning in 1984, following which, the State government made unsuccessful attempts to revive the airport with the joint initiative of the Union ministry of Civil Aviation and the North Eastern Council.
• The World War II era airstrip has remained defunct since the 1980s. The Airports Authority of India and the Indian Air Force have begun work to revive the airfield which is expected to be operational from December 2019. Civil operations to the airport will begin under the Government's Regional Connectivity Scheme.

  Current status

• In May 2018, TruJet was awarded the contract to operate flights to Guwahati Airport from Rupsi under the second round of the UDAN Scheme.
• Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone of the project on 22 February 2019.
• An estimated Rs. 70 crore was spent to make the airport suitable for operation of ATR-72 type of aircraft, including a 3,500 square metre terminal building. The infrastructure was made ready by October 2019.
• The AAI and IAF will jointly develop the airport for both civil and military operations. The IAF is also evaluating the feasibility of extending the runway to 10,000 feet to enable the operation of fighter aircraft.

  Facilities

• The airport covers an area of at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one paved runway designated 05/23 which measures.
• Rupsi airport is also expected to reduce the passenger load on Bagdogra, which is bursting at the seams, particularly because expansion plans have not taken off as the state is yet to hand over more than 100 acres to the Centre for the extension of the terminal building and other infrastructure.