| Agatti Airport | |
| Iata: | AGX |
| Icao: | VOAT |
| Pushpin Map: | India Lakshadweep#India |
| Pushpin Label: | AGX |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the airport in Lakshadweep |
| Type: | Public |
| Operator: | Airports Authority of India |
| City-Served: | Lakshadweep |
| Location: | Agatti Island, Lakshadweep, India |
| Elevation-F: | 14 |
| Elevation-M: | 4 |
| Coordinates: | 10.8281°N 72.1789°W |
| Metric-Rwy: | y |
| Metric-Elev: | y |
| R1-Number: | 04/22 |
| R1-Length-F: | 4,235 |
| R1-Length-M: | 1,291 |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| Stat-Year: | April 2023 - March 2024 |
| Stat1-Header: | Passengers |
| Stat1-Data: | 47,266 (2.5%) |
| Stat2-Header: | Aircraft movements |
| Stat2-Data: | 1,627 (18.2%) |
| Stat3-Header: | Cargo tonnage |
| Stat3-Data: | 48 |
| Footnotes: | Source: AAI[1] [2] [3] |
Agatti Airport is a regional airport serving the union territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is located at the southern end of Agatti Island, and is the sole airstrip in the archipelago, which lies off the west coast of mainland India.
The airstrip was constructed during 1987−88 for operation of Dornier 228 type of aircraft and was inaugurated on 16 April 1988. Initially, the terminal was housed in a small temporary structure. Construction of the terminal building, Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and related structures commenced in 2006. However, the construction of the terminal building was stopped midway due to the proposed extension of runway.[4] After the works completed, Air India Regional began services with ATR-42 aircraft on 24 September 2010 connecting Agatti with Kochi.[5] The resurfacing of the runway was completed in November 2010.[4] The airline was renamed later as Alliance Air, which now operates its ATR-72 aircraft from the airport to Bengaluru and Kochi.
Agatti airport is spread over . It has one asphalt runway, oriented 04/22, 1204 metres long and 30 metres wide, while its terminal building can handle 50 passengers during peak hours. Navigational aids include a DME and NDB. It is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).[6]
In 2013, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) received environmental clearance to extend the runway by constructing a 1,500-feet-long bridge on stilts over the sea. The extension is to be built at a cost of Rs 3 billion and will allow aircraft like the ATR-72 to be operated without any payload restrictions.AAI originally planned to construct a bridge between Agatti and the neighbouring uninhabited Kalpati Island to make the runway long enough to handle an Airbus A320 or Boeing 737.[7] However, this plan was rejected on environmental grounds as the bridge would have gone through a turtle colony and Kalpati island would need to be leveled to accommodate the extended runway.[8]
As per the revised master plan,[4] the following works will be undertaken:
On 18 July 2024, the Government of India had cleared the proposal of the expansion of the airport along with the construction of new airport in Minicoy. This will make the airport a tri-service military base with a civilian air enclave. The airbase will be capable of operating fighter jets, long-range UAVs and military transport aircraft. The project is led by the Indian Air Force and will be used by all the branches of the Armed Forces and the Indian Coast Guard.[9] [10]