Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administrator Admiral D K Joshi on Friday laid out a timeline for the construction of a new airport in the island chain, with reports suggesting it is being built to counter China’s influence in the Indian Ocean.
According to a Bloomberg report, it will serve as a new military airfield on the island chain to the southeast of the mainland at a cost $15,000 crore ($1.6 billion). The report added that the project will simultaneously expand the runways of two existing military airstrips, an enhancement aimed at countering China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean.
The new airport, which will also be used for tourism, will be built on Grand Nicobar Island, the southernmost point of the archipelago, about 40 nautical miles from the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest sea lanes.
The project is located in an environmentally sensitive area.
“We expect the first flights to begin operating in about three years,” Admiral Joshi said in New Delhi on Friday.
The former Indian Navy chief also added that the Ministry of Defense will lead the buildup. He was speaking at the United Services Institute of India, a think tank supported by the Ministry of Defence.
He added that the new airport will contain two runways and can accommodate large aircraft, including civil flights.
Government approval
HT had reported earlier in February that the government had invited tenders for offshore geotechnical investigation works for a new international airport at Chingenh on Great Nicobar Island to be developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Chinginh is one of the so-called pre-tsunami villages, from which the tribes were moved to different camps after the 2004 tsunami; They have since been seeking permission to return, but the administration has not granted them.
The case was taken to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which ruled that adequate safeguards had been provided in the conditions of the Environmental Clearance (EC) for the Greater Nicobar Comprehensive Development Project, asserting that there was no valid reason for intervention.
Strategic importance
Nearly a third of global trade — and the bulk of China’s energy imports — passes through the Strait of Malacca, which has become a strategic fulcrum as Beijing vies for influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Its importance gives India a strong incentive to monitor, and perhaps even impose control over, shipping traffic between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.
Expanding military infrastructure would enhance India’s ability to track Chinese maritime movements and protect undersea communications cables. For the United States, Japan, and Australia, this effort highlights India’s role as a regional bulwark against China.
An Indian military facility in the far north of the island will be renovated, with its runway expanded to accommodate larger aircraft. Admiral DK Joshi revealed that two other airports in the archipelago, including the one in the island’s capital, Sri Vijaya Puram, formerly Port Blair, will undergo similar upgrades.
According to Bloomberg, India operates a large number of US-made long-range maritime surveillance aircraft, and recently agreed to purchase six additional aircraft. The aircraft will be able to operate from these facilities.
