Agatti Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||
| Serves | Lakshadweep | ||||||||||
| Location | Agatti Island, Lakshadweep,India | ||||||||||
| Opened | 16 April 1988; 37 years ago (1988-04-16) | ||||||||||
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 4 m / 14 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 10°49′41″N72°10′44″E / 10.82806°N 72.17889°E /10.82806; 72.17889 | ||||||||||
| Website | Agatti Airport | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  AGX Location of the airport in Lakshadweep Show map of Lakshadweep AGX AGX (India) Show map of India | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (April 2024 - March 2025) | |||||||||||
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| Source:AAI[1][2][3] | |||||||||||
Agatti Airport (IATA:AGX,ICAO:VOAT) is aregional airport serving theunion territory ofLakshadweep,India. It is located at the southern end ofAgatti Island, and is the sole airstrip in thearchipelago, which lies off the west coast of mainland India.
The airstrip was constructed during 1987−88 for operation ofDornier 228 type of aircraft and was inaugurated on 16 April 1988. Initially, the terminal was housed in a small temporary structure. Construction of the terminal building,Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and related structures commenced in 2006. However, the construction of the terminal building was stopped midway due to the proposed extension of runway.[4] After the works completed,Air India Regional began services withATR-42 aircraft on 24 September 2010 connecting Agatti withKochi.[5] The resurfacing of the runway was completed in November 2010.[4] The airline was renamed later asAlliance Air, which now operates itsATR-72 aircraft from the airport toBengaluru and Kochi.[citation needed]
Agatti airport is spread over 18.56 hectares (45.9 acres). It has one asphalt runway, oriented 04/22, 1204 metres long and 30 metres wide, while its terminal building can handle 50 passengers during peak hours.Navigational aids include aDME andNDB. It is operated by theAirports Authority of India (AAI).[6]
In 2013, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) received environmental clearance to extend the runway by constructing a 1,500-feet-long bridge on stilts over the sea. The extension is to be built at a cost of Rs 3 billion and will allow aircraft like theATR-72 to be operated without any payload restrictions.AAI originally planned to construct a bridge between Agatti and the neighbouring uninhabited Kalpati Island to make the runway long enough to handle anAirbus A320 orBoeing 737.[7] However, this plan was rejected on environmental grounds as the bridge would have gone through a turtle colony andKalpati island would need to be levelled to accommodate the extended runway.[8]
As per the revised master plan,[4] the following works will be undertaken:
On 18 July 2024, the Government of India had cleared the proposal of the expansion of the airport along with the construction of new airport inMinicoy. This will make the airport a tri-service military base with a civilian air enclave. The airbase will be capable of operating fighter jets, long-range UAVs and military transport aircraft. The project is led by theIndian Air Force and will be used by all the branches of theArmed Forces and theIndian Coast Guard.[9][10]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Alliance Air | Bengaluru,Kochi |
| Fly91 | Goa–Mopa[11] |
| IndiGo | Bengaluru,[12]Kochi,Kozhikode[13] |
| Year | Passengers |
|---|---|
| 2023–24 | 47,266 |
| 2024–25 | 117,409 |
Media related toAgatti Airport at Wikimedia Commons
