Veer Savarkar International Airport | |||||||||||
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 Aerial view of the airport | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public/Military | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of India | ||||||||||
| Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||
| Serves | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | ||||||||||
| Location | Port Blair,South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India | ||||||||||
| Opened | 20 January 2000; 26 years ago (20 January 2000) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 4 m / 14 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 11°38′28″N092°43′47″E / 11.64111°N 92.72972°E /11.64111; 92.72972 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  IXZ Location of airport in Andaman and Nicobar Islands Show map of Andaman and Nicobar Islands IXZ IXZ (India) Show map of India | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (April 2024 - March 2025) | |||||||||||
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| Source:Airports Authority of India[1][2][3] | |||||||||||
Veer Savarkar International Airport (IATA:IXZ,ICAO:VOPB) is the primary airport serving theAndaman and Nicobar Islands of India. It is located about 2 km (1.2 mi) south ofPort Blair, the capital of the islands. It is named after Indian politicianVinayak Damodar Savarkar in 2002. It operates as acivil enclave, sharing airside facilities withINS Utkrosh of theIndian Navy.[4] While the civilian terminals are operated by theAirports Authority of India, air traffic operations are overseen by the Indian Navy.[5][6]
In 1937, theBritish Raj established a temporary air strip atPort Blair for handlingfighter aircraft.[7] During theSecond World War,British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) operated routes connecting theIndian subcontinent with theMalay peninsula viaBurma andSiam. In mid-1941, alternate routes had to be planned due to the advancement of theJapanese forces, which involved flying fromCalcutta to Port Blair then on wards toDutch 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 theallied aircraft.[8][9] After the Japanese captured theAndaman 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 theIndian Independence, theGovernment of India permitted Airways India to operate non-scheduled passenger flights using aCatalina aircraft betweenCalcutta and Port Blair in 1955.[11] Regular commercial services were started by theIndian Airlines in 1960.[7] The control of the aircraft operations at the airport was handed over to theIndian Navy in 1984.[7] It was renamed after Indian ideologue and politicianVinayak 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, whenAir Asia launched services toKuala Lumpur,[14] which was also discontinued less than a year later.[15][16]
The airport has a single 3,290 m (10,790 ft)–longrunway equipped withVisual approach slope indicator. There are six parking bays, capable of handlingnarrow body aircraft.[5]
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 threeaerobridges, and is capable of handling 1,200 passengers (600 domestic and 600 international) per hour.[17][20]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air India | Delhi |
| Air India Express | Bengaluru,Chennai,Delhi,Kolkata,Visakhapatnam |
| Akasa Air[21] | Chennai,Kolkata |
| IndiGo | Bengaluru,Chennai,Hyderabad,Kolkata,Mumbai |
Media related toVeer Savarkar International Airport at Wikimedia Commons
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