Andaman tourism suffers due to high airfares
Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business. The Navy’s air station INS Baaz at Campbell Bay is set to be extended to 10,000 feet, as authorities look for ways to ease the islands’ persistent connectivity troubles. Officials in the Andaman and Nicobar Administration say the island chain is steadily losing tourists to destinations like Thailand.
Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business. Officials in the Andaman and Nicobar Administration say the island chain is steadily losing tourists to destinations like Thailand.
High airfares and unpredictable flight operations at Veer Savarkar Airport in Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair) are cited as the main reasons. With Thailand offering visa-on-arrival facilities, many travellers choose the foreign destination over the Andamans, despite the islands having much more to.
What Happened
Airlines such as Air India Express say unpredictable weather over Sri Vijaya Puram forces flights to turn back to the mainland, pushing them to keep fares high as a buffer against these disruptions. Compounding the problem, the archipelago lacks an alternative airport.
The Navy’s air station INS Baaz at Campbell Bay is set to be extended to 10,000 feet, as authorities look for ways to ease the islands’ persistent connectivity troubles.
An ANA official said the Andamans currently handle only 60–65 per cent of the tourist traffic the islands can sustainably support.
A one-way economy ticket from Kolkata costs around INR 8,000, while a Kolkata-to-Bangkok fare is only marginally higher, at INR 9,000–9,500.
Key Details
INS Baaz’s 4,500-foot runway remains too short for Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s, the aircraft domestic carriers use to fly the mainland-Andaman route.
What Reports Say
Coverage of the story so far points to:
Continued reporting by TravelBiz Monitor as more details emerge
Share
What's Your Reaction?
Like
0
Dislike
0
Love
0
Funny
0
Angry
0
Sad
0
Wow
0
