Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India, has an international-designated airport and a few airstrips for military and emergency purposes. The Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair is jointly operated by the Airports Authority of India and Indian Air Force while the aerodromes at Car Nicobar, Campbell Bay and Diglipur are operated by the Indian Air Force only.
A new terminal is being constructed at Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair to enhance the capacity of the airport amid increased tourism. The new terminal is stated to be completed by October 2022. [1] [2] Under the Government of India's UDAN scheme, 3 airstrips and 4 water aerodromes are proposed to be developed to improve inter-connectivity among the islands and increase tourism. [3]
The list includes the airports in Andaman and Nicobar Islands with their respective ICAO and IATA codes. [4]
Sl. no. | Location/City in Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Airport name | ICAO | IATA | Operator | Category | Role |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
International airports | |||||||
1 | Port Blair | Veer Savarkar International Airport | VOPB | IXZ | AAI and Indian Air Force | International | Commercial |
Domestic/regional/military airports | |||||||
2 | Campbell Bay | INS Baaz | VOBX | — | Indian Air Force | Defence | Military |
3 | Car Nicobar | Car Nicobar Air Force Base | VOCX | CBD | Indian Air Force | Defence | Military |
4 | Diglipur | INS Kohassa | VODX | — | Indian Air Force | Defence | Military |
The Andaman Islands are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about 130 km (81 mi) southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between the Bay of Bengal to the west and the Andaman Sea to the east. Most of the islands are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India, while the Coco Islands and Preparis Island are part of the Yangon Region of Myanmar.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India consisting of 571 islands, of which 37 are inhabited, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The territory is about 150 km (93 mi) north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated from Thailand and Myanmar by the Andaman Sea. It comprises two island groups, the Andaman Islands (partly) and the Nicobar Islands, separated by the 150 km wide Ten Degree Channel, with the Andaman islands to the north of this latitude, and the Nicobar islands to the south. The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west. The island chains are thought to be a submerged extension of the Arakan Mountains.
Car Nicobar is the northernmost of the Nicobar Islands. It is also one of three local administrative divisions of the Indian district of Nicobar, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Annual rainfall is 2800 millimetres.
Port Blair is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (tehsil) of the islands, the headquarters for the district of South Andaman and is the territory's only notified town.
Swaraj Dweep, earlier known as Havelock Island, is one of the largest islands in Ritchie's Archipelago, to the east of Great Andaman within the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The island is 41 km (25 mi) northeast of the capital city, Port Blair.
Baratang Island is an island of the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the North and Middle Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The island lies 150 km (93 mi) north of Port Blair.
The Japanese occupation of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands occurred in 1942 during World War II. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, are a group of islands situated in the Bay of Bengal at about 1,250 km (780 mi) from Kolkata, 1,200 km (750 mi) from Chennai and 190 km (120 mi) from Cape of Nargis in Burma. Until 1938 the British government used them as a penal colony for Indian and African political prisoners, who were mainly put in the notorious Cellular Jail in Port Blair, the biggest town (port) on the islands. Today they form a Union Territory of India.
Veer Savarkar International Airport is a domestic airport located 2 km (1.2 mi) south of Port Blair and is the main airport of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Originally known as "Port Blair Airport", it was renamed in 2002 after Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who had been detained in the Cellular Jail in the city for 11 years during India’s freedom struggle. It operates as a civil enclave, sharing airside facilities with INS Utkrosh of the Indian Navy.
Car Nicobar Air Force Base is located in IAF Camp village, on Car Nicobar Island in the Union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is the only tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India. It was created in 2001 to safeguard India's strategic interests in Southeast Asia and the Strait of Malacca by increasing rapid deployment of military assets in the region. It provides logistical and administrative support to naval ships which are sent on deployment to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
INS Utkrosh, is an Indian naval air station under the joint-services Andaman and Nicobar Command of the Indian Armed Forces. It is located near naval base INS Jarawa, on Port Blair in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
INS Jarawa is a naval base of the Indian Armed Forces under the joint-services Andaman and Nicobar Command located in Port Blair in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. It was commissioned in 1964.
INS Kardip is a forward operating base of the Indian Navy under the joint-services Andaman and Nicobar Command located on Kamorta Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It was commissioned in 1973.
INS Baaz is an Indian naval air station under the joint-services Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) of the Indian Armed Forces. It is located near Campbell Bay, on Great Nicobar island in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. It is the southernmost air station of the Indian Armed Forces. It overlooks the Strait of Malacca as well as the Six Degree channel between Great Nicobar and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Tourism in Andaman and Nicobar Islands relates to tourism in union territory of India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Andamans are an archipelago of over 572 tropical islands, of which only 38 are inhabited. In 2004 Radhanagar beach at Havelock Island was bestowed with the title of "Asia’s Best Beach" and as the world's seventh most spectacular beach by Time Magazine.
Great Nicobar Development Plan is a planned mega infrastructure project for the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island in Andaman Sea of India. The island is comes under the administration of the Indian Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.