New Delhi/Agartala, Jul 4 (IANS): The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday renamed the Agartala airport after Tripura's last ruler Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya, said an official.

The decision comes in the wake of a long-pending demand of the people of Tripura as well as the state government to rename the airport after Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya as a tribute to the last ruler of the princely (1923-1947). After several hundred years of rule by 184 kings, Tripura merged with the Indian union in October 1949.

In 1942, the king constructed the airport, which played a crucial role in the Second World War. The Agartala airport, earlier known as Singerbill Airport, is located 20 km north of the capital city and sits along the Bangladesh border.

An official release said the Agartala airport is the second busiest airport in the northeastern India and provides crucial air connectivity in the region linking Kolkata and other major airports in the country.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who returned to the state on Wednesday evening from the national capital, thanked the Prime Minister for renaming the Agartala airport after Tripura's last king.