--- iata: IXA name: Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport city: Agartala country: India lastUpdated: '2026-09-09' officialWebsite: 'https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/agartala' sources: - 'https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/agartala' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharaja_Bir_Bikram_Airport' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_India' - >- https://web.archive.org/web/20260425035010/https://www.aai.aero/sites/default/files/traffic-news/Mar2k26Annex3.pdf - >- https://web.archive.org/web/20260428091121/https://www.aai.aero/sites/default/files/traffic-news/Mar2k26Annex2.pdf - >- https://web.archive.org/web/20260424120057/https://www.aai.aero/sites/default/files/traffic-news/Mar2k26Annex4.pdf - >- https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/passenger-footfall-at-agartalas-mbb-airport-has-almost-doubled-in-12-years-official-says/articleshow/131704469.cms - >- https://www.newkerala.com/news/a/agartala-airport-ready-international-operations-passenger-traffic-nearly-361.htm - >- https://www.prioritypass.com/en-gb/lounges/india/agartala-singerbhil/ixa1-primus-lounge - 'https://www.prioritypass.com/lounges/india' quickFacts: - >- Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport (IATA IXA / ICAO VEAT), still widely called Agartala Airport / MBB Airport, is Tripura’s main civil passenger gateway and, on AAI FY 2025–26 annex traffic, the second-busiest airport in North-East India after Guwahati (GAU). The AAI campus sits at Singerbhil about 12 km northwest of Agartala (airline and Wikipedia directories). Owner/operator is the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Official passenger page pattern: https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/agartala. Screenshot IXA (VEAT) ≠ GAU (Guwahati) ≠ IMF (Imphal) ≠ AJL (Aizawl) ≠ IXS (Silchar) ≠ CCU (Kolkata) — the wrong North-East / Bengal IATA is a multi-hour road or extra flight day, not an airside hop. This is a pure AAI public civil field (WWII RAF / USAAF history only) — not a passenger enclave on an active naval or air-force base. - >- One integrated passenger terminal (inaugurated 4 January 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi; public AAI / facility summaries ~30,000 m² with about 3 million passengers per annum design capacity; peak-hour design about 1,000 domestic + 200 international passengers; Wikipedia facility notes cite 20 check-in counters, six aircraft parking bays, and four aerobridges) handles all scheduled passenger flows. Treat Bangladesh cross-border terminal CGI, second-runway / parallel-taxiway construction blogs, and “international flights starting any day” press as planning context — not a second live passenger campus or proof of durable daily international banks. - >- Traffic (AAI annexes for FY 2025–26 / 1 Apr 2025–31 Mar 2026, as compiled on Wikipedia from archived Mar2k26 Annex II–IV PDFs): 1,538,175 passengers (+9%), 11,249 aircraft movements (+13.1%), and 5,796.5 t cargo (+5.6%). Prefer AAI annex PDFs when auditing. June 2026 director briefings rounded the same year to ~1.5 million passengers / ~12,000 movements with roughly 34 daily flights / ~5,000 passengers per day — trust annex digits for audits and the ticket / FIDS for today’s bank. - >- Airfield (Wikipedia technical summaries for VEAT): single runway 18/36 — 2,286 m × asphalt; aerodrome elevation about 14 m / 46–49 ft. Do not invent a 09/27 orientation from third-party airport blogs. DigiYatra was described as introduced in June 2026 airport-director press briefings — still confirm the live DigiYatra app and terminal signage on your travel day rather than treating a press quote alone as a permanent e-gate guarantee. Plan CISF document queues as the safe default if the app does not list IXA as active. - >- Lounges (live Priority Pass Agartala Singerbhil / IXA directory, checked Sep 2026): one soft room — Primus Lounge (domestic airside after the Security Hold Area, ground level; published 00:00–23:59 daily; max stay 2 hours; children under 12 free; digital card accepted; air-conditioning, standard alcoholic drinks, disabled access, and flight information listed on PP conditions). Live PP soft directory = Primus Lounge only — do not invent Plaza Premium / Travel Club / Airr / Encalm soft pins from aggregator mirrors. - >- Ground: prepaid taxi / signed app cabs remain Plan A for the ~12 km Singerbhil run into Agartala city / Battala / Paradise Chowmuhani / Agartala Railway Station (often ~25–45 minutes in normal traffic; confirm the board / app quote). There is no passenger rail or metro platform inside the terminal. Late nights default to prepaid / app cabs. GAU and CCU remain the usual diversion / alternate hubs when weather or schedule shocks constrain the single strip — those are separate airports, not airside hops. bentoTips: - label: Timing title: Compact 2022 hall — still budget one strip and IndiGo-shaped banks detail: >- IXA’s January 2022 integrated terminal is easy to read, but the field remains a single-runway AAI station with IndiGo-heavy domestic banks, Air India Express / Akasa Air metal on overlapping trunks, and monsoon / North-East weather that can still stack the only strip. DigiYatra was described as introduced in June 2026 director press — confirm the live app and signage before you skip the manual CISF line. Domestic ~2 hours early is the sane default. Primus Lounge’s Priority Pass window publishes 00:00–23:59 with a 2-hour max stay — confirm the live app before you assume a free pour. summary: >- Short city hop and a compact 2022 hall help; one runway still needs real buffers. category: timing - label: Terminal title: 'One 2022 integrated hall — Primus PP pin, no second campus' detail: >- Screenshot IXA ≠ GAU ≠ IMF ≠ AJL ≠ IXS ≠ CCU before the car leaves Agartala / Udaipur / Bishalgarh / Sabroom. All scheduled passengers clear the 4 Jan 2022 integrated terminal (~30,000 m²; ~3 MPPA design; 20 check-in / six bays / four aerobridges on public summaries). Bangladesh cross-border terminal CGI, parallel-taxiway blogs, and “international starting soon” press lines are not today’s check-in map. Live Priority Pass pin: Primus Lounge airside after the Security Hold Area, ground level. summary: Single 2022 passenger hall; one live PP soft lounge (Primus). category: terminal - label: Food title: Primus Lounge if entitled airside — landside sealed water is Plan A detail: >- Live Priority Pass product is Primus Lounge (domestic airside after the Security Hold Area, ground level; 00:00–23:59; max 2h; children under 12 free; AC / standard alcohol / digital card / disabled access / flight info listed). Without entitlement, buy sealed water and snacks landside before CISF; airside café markup is the usual Indian-airport tax. Ignore Plaza Premium / Travel Club / Airr inventions — live PP directory = Primus Lounge only. summary: One live PP soft room; landside bottles still beat airside pricing. category: food - label: Access title: 'Prepaid taxi Plan A — Singerbhil is ~12 km, no terminal metro' detail: >- Use official prepaid taxi counters in arrivals or signed Ola / Uber pickup for the Singerbhil run into Battala / Paradise Chowmuhani / Kaman Chowmuhani / Agartala Railway Station (often ~25–45 minutes in normal traffic; confirm the board / app quote). The railway station is a separate road transfer. Do not invent an in-terminal metro or rail platform from city transit planning coverage. summary: Road hop into Agartala; metro is not at the kerb. category: status lounges: - name: Primus Lounge zone: >- Airside domestic departures — ground level after Security Hold Area (Priority Pass ixa1-primus-lounge). hours: '00:00-23:59' access: - Priority Pass / LoungeKey / DragonPass (confirm live PP listing) - Eligible Indian premium credit-card programmes that list this lounge pin - Paid walk-up when the operator offers it (confirm desk) bestFor: - Domestic departures with Priority Pass after clearing CISF - Travellers who want a soft-lounge sit before boarding (max 2 hours) summary: >- Live Priority Pass soft lounge for domestic airside. Published hours 00:00–23:59 daily; location is Airside — Domestic Departures, Ground Level, after Security Hold Area. PP conditions list a maximum 2-hour stay, children under 12 free, digital card accepted, air-conditioning, standard alcoholic drinks, disabled access, and flight information. Live PP soft directory = Primus Lounge only — confirm the live PP app before you budget a free pour. verdict: worth-it terminal: Integrated Terminal (Domestic airside) amenities: - Air conditioning / digital card accepted / disabled access on PP - Standard alcoholic drinks listed on PP conditions - Flight information listed on PP conditions - Children under 12 admitted free on PP conditions - 'Published 00:00–23:59; maximum 2-hour stay (confirm desk)' waterOptions: - kind: purchase name: Landside sealed water (check-in / departures hall) zone: landside price: >- Typical Indian-airport sealed-bottle markup — confirm shelf tag (often roughly ₹40–80) summary: >- Best default hydration play — buy sealed water landside before CISF so you are not hostage to airside café pricing after a Singerbhil road transfer. location: >- Convenience and café kiosks in the integrated terminal departures / check-in hall before security terminal: Integrated Terminal landside isBestValue: true - kind: purchase name: Airside retail water zone: airside price: Higher than landside — confirm shelf tag summary: >- Markup backup once you are through security; fine for a top-up, poor as Plan A. location: Post-security café and retail units toward domestic gates terminal: Integrated Terminal airside - kind: free name: Primus Lounge drinks (entitlement only) zone: airside summary: >- Soft / listed drinks with accepted Priority Pass entitlement only during published 00:00–23:59 hours (max 2h stay) — not a public fountain. Standard alcoholic drinks are listed on PP conditions — confirm the live listing. location: >- Primus Lounge, domestic airside ground level after Security Hold Area, during published hours terminal: Integrated Terminal (Domestic) airside isBestQuality: true airportistScore: 6.7 slug: ixa region: Asia-Pacific --- > Markdown for [/airports/ixa](/airports/ixa). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/ixa) - [Lounge directory](/airports/ixa/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport (IXA) Agartala, India · Asia-Pacific AAI-run Tripura capital gateway with a January 2022 integrated terminal about 12 km northwest of Agartala, IndiGo-heavy domestic banks, one live Priority Pass Primus Lounge, and a short prepaid-taxi hop into the city — traded against a single-runway strip, DigiYatra only director-claimed in June 2026 press, and international CIQ rooms that still do not equal durable daily foreign nonstops. ## Airportist Score **6.7 / 10** Weighted sum of the six published categories (no holistic fudge). - Ease of use (25%): 7.4 — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout. - Comfort & amenities (20%): 6.8 — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet. - Food & retail (15%): 5.8 — Food and retail quality and variety. - Ground access (15%): 7.0 — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city. - Reliability (15%): 6.2 — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience. - Lounges (10%): 6.6 — Worth-it density and access quality. ## At a glance - Passengers: 1.54M (AAI FY 2025–26) - Terminals: 1 integrated passenger terminal (opened 4 Jan 2022; ~30,000 m²; ~3 MPPA design) - Typical security: 16 min - On-time: 76% - Disruption: moderate ## Best for - Domestic trips to/from Agartala / Tripura with a short prepaid taxi hop - Priority Pass holders using Primus Lounge after CISF (00:00–23:59 / max 2h) - Travellers who want the local AAI field instead of routing everything via Guwahati or Kolkata - Compact single-hall North-East departures without a mega-hub maze ## Watch out for - Screenshot IXA ≠ GAU ≠ IMF ≠ AJL ≠ IXS ≠ CCU — wrong North-East / Bengal IATA is a multi-hour road or extra-flight day - DigiYatra only director-claimed in June 2026 press — confirm live app + signage or plan full CISF queues - International-ready CIQ rooms ≠ durable daily foreign nonstops — trust the ticket/FIDS - Single runway 18/36 (2,286 m) — monsoon / North-East weather still needs buffers ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/ixa/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/ixa/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/ixa/amenities.md) - [Traveler tips](/airports/ixa/tips.md) - [Water](/airports/ixa/water.md) - [Full guide](/airports/ixa/guide.md) - [Disruptions](/airports/ixa/disruptions.md) - [Reviews](/airports/ixa/reviews.md)