British-era Rupsi airport, originally constructed during World War-II to supply arms, manpower, and ammunition to the Allied forces, is ready to commence operations under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) again after flight operations came to a halt in the airport in the 1980s.Airports Authority of India (AAI) said commercial operations in the airport were likely to start from January 2021.

KEY POINTS:

=> The Rupsi airport has been re-developed at an estimated cost of Rs 69 crore and has received its licence from the directorate general of civil aviation.

=> The airport is one of India’s newest in the RCS route, which will cater to the local population, providing direct connectivity to cities such as Guwahati and Kolkata. Air travellers from Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Goalpara as well as districts in the neighbouring states of West Bengal, Meghalaya and parts of Bhutan will benefit from the airport.

=> The airport, located in Kokrajhar district, is situated 23 km from Dhubri town, on the banks of the Brahmaputra and Gadadhar, with historical significance and was an important centre of commerce through a busy river port. The foundation stone for development of the airport was laid on February 22, 2019.

=> Spread across 337 acres of land, the newly developed airport has a terminal building with an area of 3,500 sqm. Equipped with 10 check-in counters, the terminal is designed to process 200 passengers during peak hours.

=> The newly built runway of the airport is suitable for landing ATR-72 type of aircraft, which can carry even fewer passengers with a capacity of 72-80 and can be economically viable.