The recent visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lakshadweep has led to people planning a trip to the archipelago. The island has recorded the lowest air traffic in 2023 since 2015, barring the pandemic year of 2020, official data show.
The Agatti Island airport in Lakshadweep registered the lowest number of flights during the April-November 2023 period, according to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The Agatti airport reported 1,080 aircraft movements during this period, compared to 1,482 during April-November 2022 and 1,202 during April-November 2021, as per the AAI data.
Currently, Alliance Air operates a daily flight to the island. Agatti is the only airport in the archipelago that comprises 36 islands.
SpiceJet will launch flights to Lakshadweep
SpiceJet will soon launch flights to Lakshadweep, its chief Ajay Singh said. As on January 7, SpiceJet had 39 aircraft in operations while 26 were on the ground, as per data available on fleet tracking website Planespotter.
Singh told shareholders that the airline has exclusive rights under the government's regional connectivity scheme for Lakshadweep, and will soon launch its air services to the union territory.
India-Maldives diplomatic row
A diplomatic row in ongoing between India and the Maldives. Derogatory comments were made by some deputy ministers of the Maldives against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he visited Lakshadweep.
Subsequently, there have been calls to boycott the Maldives, which had emerged as a hot destination for Indian leisure travellers post the 2019 pandemic, by some industry bodies as well as travel booking platforms.
With inputs from PTI
