The schedule for the first international flight from Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair to Kuala Lumpur has been released.
Mohan Vinod, President of the Andaman Association of Tour Operators, announced on Saturday that international flights are set to commence from Port Blair airport after a prolonged delay. The inaugural flight is slated for November 16.
In an interaction with ANI, Vinod conveyed his excitement about the long-awaited commencement of international flights from Port Blair airport. He acknowledged that the first flight, which is scheduled for November 16 and will be operated by Air Asia, is a result of the support from the government and Air Asia. He also highlighted the negative effect that the absence of flights had on Port Blair’s tourism. Despite this, he remains optimistic that the launch of international flights will draw more tourists to the region.
“The airport was inaugurated by PM Modi on June 21, 2023. Since that day, we have awaited this. Tourism has been affected because of the flights. Now that we have announced the international flights, we hope that more tourists come and tourism increases in Port Blair. We want to thank Air Asia and the people for cooperating with us,” he added. It’s worth noting that the airport began night operations on April 30, following substantial upgrades and improvements.
On the 18th of April, a private airline made history by being the first to touch down using the ILS at VSI Airport.
Significant improvements have been made to the aviation infrastructure at INS Utkrosh in Port Blair, enabling the airport to manage both day and night operations.