Agartala, May 19 (PTI): The Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport here in Tripura has restricted the supply of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) to aeroplanes after flood and landslides affected communication channels with Assam from where it reaches the state, an official said on Thursday.
Planes are now allowed to refuel at the MBB Airport only for the next destination due to dwindling stock of ATF, a senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said here.
The MBB Airport Director Rajiv Kapoor held a meeting with airline companies and officials concerned on Wednesday and communicated the decision on curbing refuelling in the backdrop of the decline in ATF stock, the official said.
The existing stock of ATF at the Agartala airport will meet the requirement for 13-14 days if the fuel is supplied in a restricted way.
The restriction has been imposed only for a few days until railway service and road communication are restored, Kapoor told PTI.
ATF is supplied to MBB Airport from Assam via road and rail but floods and landslides in the neighbouring state have affected those services.
Around 12 tankers carrying ATF for MBB Airport are on their way via road from Assam, the official said.
The MBB Airport has become a favourite destination for airline companies to refuel their planes after VAT on ATF was reduced to 1 per cent in December last year. It resulted in a major reduction in the ATF price compared to Guwahati where a litre of it costs Rs 99.28 with 28.65 per cent of VAT.
At present, the ATF stock in MBB Airport stands at 4.50 lakh litres, an official said.
