After petrol & diesel, Tripura puts restriction on ATF refilling 

Agartala: The MBB airport in Agartala imposed restrictions on the refilling of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) given the fuel crisis due to the disruption in the Assam-Agartala route, officials said on Thursday.

The decision followed a meeting of senior officials chaired by airport director Rajeev Kapoor on May 18, MBB Airport manager Jempu Haokip said.

He said, “Soon after the state cabinet approved the decision to reduce the share of VAT (Value Added Taxes) on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), MBB Airport became a favourable destination for fuel refilling. Several new airlines also showed their interest to introduce flights on the existing routes Agartala-Kolkata, Agartala-Delhi and Agartala-Guwahati. All the flights used to land here to refill ATF with full tank capacity.”

But, he said, for the last few days the Airport has been suffering from a shortage of highly-essential fuel. “In the meeting, we have decided that the airlines will be able to refill fuel based on its endurance and flying distance. For instance, if an aircraft requires 2,000 litres of fuel to cover the distance between Agartala and Kolkata it will be entitled to get that quantity only. After ascertaining all the associated risks such as if there is a problem in landing or other natural calamities, the entitlement of the fuel will be decided”, he added.

According to the official, the difference between the amount needed to fill the whole tank and the present entitlement is very high. “Almost double the quantity of ATF required for filling the whole tank to what is now being given to the aircraft,” said the officials.

Speaking about the ATF’s pricing in Tripura, he said the base price of the ATF stands at Rs 107 with a one per cent VAT charge over each litre. In other parts of the country like Assam and Kolkata, the base prices are lower, but the state’s share of VAT is between 20 to 30 per cent, causing a difference of Rs 15 to 16 in each litre.

“Right now, some tankers are arriving from Assam-Tripura borders, but we don’t know when the roads will be restored. Tripura is fully dependent on Assam for the ATF,” he added.

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