Veer Savarkar International Airport

Veer Savarkar International Airport
Aerial view of the airport
Summary
Airport typePublic/Military
OwnerGovernment of India
OperatorAirports Authority of India
ServesAndaman and Nicobar Islands
LocationPort Blair, South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
Opened20 January 2000 (20 January 2000)
Elevation AMSL4 m / 14 ft
Coordinates11°38′28″N 092°43′47″E / 11.64111°N 92.72972°E / 11.64111; 92.72972
Map
IXZ
Location of airport in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
IXZ
IXZ (India)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
04/22 3,420 11,220 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2024 - March 2025)
Passengers1,656,704 ( 14%)
Aircraft movements12,526 ( 3.7%)
Cargo tonnage7,905 ( 26.6%)
Source: Airports Authority of India[1][2][3]

Veer Savarkar International Airport (IATA: IXZ, ICAO: VOPB) is the primary airport serving the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. It is located about 2 km (1.2 mi) south of Port Blair, the capital of the islands. It is named after Indian politician Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 2002. It operates as a civil enclave, sharing airside facilities with INS Utkrosh of the Indian Navy.[4] While the civilian terminals are operated by the Airports Authority of India, air traffic operations are overseen by the Indian Navy.[5][6]

History

In 1937, the British Raj established a temporary air strip at Port Blair for handling fighter aircraft.[7] During the Second World War, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) operated routes connecting the Indian subcontinent with the Malay peninsula via Burma and Siam. In mid-1941, alternate routes had to be planned due to the advancement of the Japanese forces, which involved flying from Calcutta to Port Blair then on wards to Dutch East Indies. On the December 1941, the alternate route was activated after the Japanese invaded Siam, and Port Blair airport served as a re-fueling stop for the allied aircraft.[8][9] After the Japanese captured the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in June 1942,[10] the runway was paved and the air strip was improved to make it capable of handling passenger flights. However, bombings during the war damaged the airport, and made it non-functional.[7]

After the Indian Independence, the Government of India permitted Airways India to operate non-scheduled passenger flights using a Catalina aircraft between Calcutta and Port Blair in 1955.[11] Regular commercial services were started by the Indian Airlines in 1960.[7] The control of the aircraft operations at the airport was handed over to the Indian Navy in 1984.[7] It was renamed after Indian ideologue and politician Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 2002.[12] Plans for starting international flights from the airport were proposed in the late 1980s.[13] However, the airport did not see a regular international service until 2024, when Air Asia launched services to Kuala Lumpur,[14] which was also discontinued less than a year later.[15][16]

Infrastructure

The airport has a single 3,290 m (10,790 ft)–long runway equipped with Visual approach slope indicator. There are six parking bays, capable of handling narrow body aircraft.[5]

Terminals

The old terminal was spread over an area of 6,100 m2 (66,000 sq ft) and had a capacity to handle 400 passengers simultaneously. It had nine check-in counters and two boarding gates.[5] In 2019, plans were announced for the construction of a new terminal at a cost of ₹7.07 billion (equivalent to ₹8.8 billion or US$100 million in 2023).[17] It was completed in June 2023 and was inaugurated on 18 July 2023.[18][19] The 40,837 m2 (439,570 sq ft) terminal has three floors–one each for arrivals, departures, and waiting. It is equipped with 28 check-in counters, four conveyor belts and three aerobridges, and is capable of handling 1,200 passengers (600 domestic and 600 international) per hour.[17][20]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Air India Delhi
Air India Express Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam
Akasa Air[21] Chennai, Kolkata
IndiGo Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai

References

  1. ^ Annexure III – Passenger Data (PDF). Airports Authority of India (Report). Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  2. ^ Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data (PDF). Airports Authority of India (Report). Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  3. ^ Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data (PDF). Airports Authority of India (Report). Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  4. ^ "New Terminal Building at Port Blair Airport by March 2018". Press Information Bureau (Press release). 22 August 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b c "Port Blair Airport". Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  6. ^ "Andaman & Nicobar Command: Saga of Synergy". Sainik Samachar. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d Poonam Tripathi; Punam Tripathi (2018). The Vulnerable Andaman and Nicobar Islands: A Study of Disasters and Response. Taylor & Francis. p. 130. ISBN 978-1-351-05946-6.
  8. ^ Airlines at War British Civil Aviation, 1939–1944. Pen & Sword Books. 2018. p. 120. ISBN 978-1-473-89411-2.
  9. ^ John Wilson. Report on the Progress of Civil Aviation 1939 – 1945 (PDF) (Report). p. 23.
  10. ^ L, Klemen (1999–2000). "The capture of Andaman Islands, March 1942". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  11. ^ United States Bureau of Foreign Commerce (1954). World Trade Information Service: Parts 4-5. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 4.
  12. ^ "Lok Sabha Debates - Regarding Renaming Of Port Blair Airport In Andaman After The Name Of Port Blair airport on 8 May, 2002". India Kanoon. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  13. ^ Asiaweek. Vol. 12. Asiaweek. May 1986. p. 70.
  14. ^ "AirAsia to operate flight service from Port Blair to Kuala Lumpur from today". The Hindu. 16 November 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  15. ^ "Air Asia ends Port blair's sole international flight". Aero News. 12 April 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  16. ^ "Air Asia cuts only international flight of Port blair". Aviation A2Z. 12 April 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  17. ^ a b "Port Blair airport confirms new terminal". Business Traveller. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  18. ^ "Port Blair Airport's new terminal on track to open in October 2022". Airport Technology. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  19. ^ "Port Blair Airport's New Terminal Building Inaugurated, PM Modi Says 'Ease of Travel Will Improve'". Times Now. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  20. ^ "Here's what the Veer Savarkar International Airport to be inaugurated by PM Modi looks like". The Indian Express. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  21. ^ "Akasa Air Flight Network". Akasa Air. Retrieved 22 November 2023.

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