Rupsi Airport

Rupsi Airport is an airport located at Rupsi (about 8.6km from Gauripur town) situated at Kokrajhar district near the border of Dhubri district of Assam.
This airport serves as a way for people of the lower part of Assam to travel to major cities and states of India. The airport also serves as a layover to those traveling to the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary, Ultapani Reserve Forest, Manas National Park, Jaldapara National Park in Alipurduar District, and the Buxa Tiger Reserve of West Bengal.
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, after 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 (NEC). The World War II-era airstrip has remained defunct since the 1980s. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Indian Air Force (IAF) 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.
The newly-launched domestic airlines FlyBig will start their operation in the Northeast region from 8th May 2021 and initially, the flight service will connect Rupsi to both Guwahati and Kolkata Airports. And in due course, other destinations of the Northeast will be covered. On the 5th of May 2021, FlyBig Airlines conducted a successful trial of its flight at Rupsi Airport. Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal along with BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary had laid the foundation stone of the project on 22 February 2019. An estimated cost of Rs. 70 crore was spent to make the airport suitable for operation of ATR-72 type of aircraft, including a 3,500 square meter terminal building. The infrastructure for the airport 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.