To increase aviation connection between the two countries, India and Indonesia are considering launching additional routes, including one that would connect Port Blair in the Andaman Islands with Aceh, the most western province of Indonesia.
“Today I met with the Adani Group, Mr. Rajiv Bansil, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), and Mr. Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Managing Director & CEO of GMR.
We addressed bilateral connections between Indonesia and India in the field of air and sea transportation,” Indonesia’s transportation minister Budi Karya Sumadi said in an Instagram post on December 15.The two countries are also exploring higher connectivity between Indonesia and southern India, an official close to the matter said. “Flight connectivity between Jakarta and Bangalore and Hyderabad are also being explored,” the official said, requesting anonymity. Sabang port in Aceh is around 90 nautical miles from the islands of Andaman and Nicobar.
Both parties decided to consider enhancing connection between the Andamans and Aceh during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2018 visit to Indonesia.
Additionally, it was decided to form a joint task force to work on port-related infrastructure projects on and around the Indonesian island of Sabang.
The standing committee on home affairs reported on December 12 that despite authorities removing value-added tax on jet fuel and landing fees, international flights from the Port Blair airport had yet to begin.
According to the committee, launching international flights from the Andaman Islands will increase tourism by drawing in foreign visitors.
It stated that the issue needed to be addressed right away.
The civil aviation ministry has been asked to urge airlines to begin operating international flights from Port Blair to surrounding towns in south-east Asia, according to the home ministry.
