Excerpt and featured photo from swarajyamag.com
Nestled over a thousand kilometres off India’s eastern coast, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands often remain out of sight and mind for most.
But the tides are turning! The biodiversity-rich archipelago, once overshadowed by the mainland, is now front and centre in the Central government’s bold modernisation push.
History was made this Sunday as AirAsia’s inaugural international flight from Kuala Lumpur touched down at Veer Savarkar International Airport in Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair)—ending a 22-year-long wait for international air connectivity.
The airport’s state-of-the-art terminal, which opened on 18 July 2023, boasts a striking sea-shell-inspired design and a capacity to handle 5 million passengers annually.
Renamed in 2002 to honour the revered freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar—who endured incarceration in the infamous Port Blair’s Cellular Jail during India’s fight for independence—the airport stands as both a gateway and a tribute to history.