One of the world’s most secluded airports features just one check-in desk, and is only served by two airlines. But the real nail-biter is the fact its situated on a tiny island, with Arabian sea on all sides.
Coming in to land at Agatti Airport on the pretty little island of Lakshadweep, India, can be a breathtaking experience in all meanings of the phrase. The turquoise lagoons and the island’s outline is enough to admire, but the jet’s mission to get onto the runway may not be for the faint-hearted.
Only offering one flight a day on average, Agatti is a 4.7-mile-long island, found in a coral atoll in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The 1,400-metre Agatti Airport is the only airport on the island.
First constructed in 1987 to 1988, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) received environmental clearance to extend the runway by 336 metres. A plan to make the runway big enough for Airbus A320 or Boeing 737s was rejected on environmental grounds, as it would have disrupted a turtle colony and Kalpati island would need to be levelled to accommodate it, according to The Times of India.
Agatti is served by only two airlines – Indian Airlines and Kingfisher Airlines – with up to a couple of flights a day running, which both operate flights between the island and Cochin.
The latter also offers flights to and from Bangalore. The airport is only big enough to support 24-seater ATR aircraft and has only one security desk.
Agatti is also connected to Cochin by a sea route, which takes between 14 and 20 hours on one of seven passenger ships.
There are only four accomodations on Agatti, including the Turtle Nest Resort and the SeaGate Holiday Homes. South Beach offers a multitude of watersports, including kayaking, glass boating and scuba diving. One can also swim and snorkle among the turtles and other rich sealife.
It is also recommended to visit the island’s lighthouse, located at its tip, which provides panoramic views of the surroundings. According to the India Meteorological Department, temperatures usually reach heights of 30C in July and August, with its heighest temperature in April and May.
As of 2014, its population was just 7,700, in a space of 6,180 square miles. There is a desalination unit on the island which provides water to its residents, as well as its own 100kW powerhouse to generate electricity
There are also two healthcentres, including one specialist hospital which serves many of the islands.
Visitors are only allowed to the island under certain restrictions, including the obtaining of an Entry Permit from the Lakshadweep Administration, issued based on the visitor having a confirmed place to stay.
Lakshadweep, with its 36 islands, of which 10 are inhabited, is grappling with a range of challenges, one of which is the limited transportation infrastructure. Once served by seven ships, the population of 64,000 now relies on just two ships ferrying them between islands and the mainland, a process occurring only once every week or 10 days.
In January, the Indian Prime Minister, Narenda Modi’s invitation to tourists to explore the Lakshadweep islands sparked a diplomatic crisis with the Maldives. “Those who want to visit different beaches around the world, and are enamoured by them — I request them to first come to Lakshadweep and take a look,” the Prime Minister said in a video.
However, Maldivian ministers interpreted Modi’s message as an attempt to divert tourists away from their own resorts. Indian social media influencers then began criticising the Maldives, while the latter suspended the ministers responsible for their derogatory comments towards India and Modi.
