Sri Vijaya Puram, August 19: A sharp reduction in flights connecting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with mainland India is beginning to ripple through the island economy, hitting tourism, hotels, transport operators and fisheries as businesses grapple with fewer visitors, expensive air tickets and reduced cargo capacity.
Representatives of some of the islands’ key business and industry associations have now sought urgent intervention by the Andaman and Nicobar Administration and the Centre, arguing that air connectivity to the geographically isolated Union Territory cannot be determined solely by seasonal commercial considerations.
The concerns were raised during an interaction with The Wave Andaman involving Mohd Jadwet, President of the Ship Owners Association; Simson, representing the Andaman and Nicobar Tour Operators Association; Rafiq, representing the Andaman Association of Tour Operators; Maheshwar Rao, Chairman of the Andaman and Nicobar Fisheries Federation; Hema Raju, General Secretary of the Fishermen Welfare Association; Chandrashekar, President of the Andaman Chamber of Commerce; and hotelier Madan Lall, General Secretary of the Chamber.
Industry representatives said weekly flights to and from Veer Savarkar International Airport have fallen sharply from the levels seen last year. According to figures shared by the stakeholders, around 62 flights a week operated in July 2025 and about 72 in August 2025, compared with around 36 currently.
The Wave Andaman could not independently verify these figures. However, published summer schedules for 2026 show that some routes are seasonal, with Hyderabad services paused during the monsoon and Mumbai services largely absent until October, even as core connections to Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Delhi continue.
For local businesses, the impact is being felt well beyond the airport.
Tourism bears the brunt
“The problem is not only about the passenger who is unable to get a flight. There is a cascading effect,” Jadwet said. “When the tourist does not come, the tour operator suffers, then the hotel, the car operator, the ferry operator, the water-sports operator, the guide and even the local shopkeeper suffers.”
Tour operators say the problem is compounded by high airfares, which can make a holiday in Andaman significantly more expensive and weaken its competitiveness against international destinations.
Simson said much of the local tourism industry operates on a business-to-business model, with island operators dependent on travel agents and companies on the mainland sending customers to the islands.
“When flights are curtailed and fares become exorbitant, the bookings are affected first,” he said. “We are unable to sustain the business, and the losses eventually pass down to everyone working with us.”
The impact is particularly severe for businesses carrying debt.
Rafiq said many car and tempo operators purchased vehicles through bank loans in anticipation of tourism demand. A prolonged decline in bookings leaves them with little income even as monthly instalments continue.
“When tourists don’t come, there are no bookings and there is no income. But the EMI does not stop,” he said. “If they are unable to repay the loan, the bank can seize the vehicle. So the impact is not just a few days of lost business, it can threaten the livelihood and asset of the entire family.”
Hotels face a similar problem.
“The rooms are there, the infrastructure is there, and the employees are there, but the tourists are not coming,” Madan Lall said. Hotels, he added, must continue paying salaries, electricity bills, maintenance expenses and loan instalments irrespective of occupancy.
Chandrashekar said the problem goes beyond tourism because island residents depend on aviation for medical treatment, education, business and other essential travel.
“For Andaman, flights are not a luxury. They are a necessity,” he said. “We are geographically separated from mainland India, and people depend on flights for business, medical emergencies, education and essential travel.”
Unlike mainland destinations, where travellers often have road or rail alternatives, the islands depend primarily on air and sea connectivity.
Fisheries and cargo feel the squeeze
The impact of reduced aviation capacity is also being felt in the fisheries sector, where speed of transportation is particularly important for high-value produce.
Maheshwar Rao said export-quality fish needs to reach mainland markets such as Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi quickly for onward sale, including to larger domestic and overseas markets.
“When the air-cargo movement is affected, the fish cannot reach the market in time,” he said. “Because it is a perishable commodity, the value falls and the loss ultimately comes back to the fishermen and the people involved in the trade.”
Fisheries representatives said the volumes involved can run into several tonnes, although The Wave Andaman could not independently verify their estimate of 10-25 tonnes of export-quality fish being moved from the islands.
Hema Raju said local consumption cannot substitute for the larger market required for premium fish.
“The fish that is consumed locally has a local market. But export-quality fish has a different market. It has to reach the bigger markets where it can get a fair price,” he said. “If there is no air connectivity and no export movement, the market is effectively closed for that fish.”
Stakeholders said reduced cargo capacity can also affect medicines, mail, e-commerce consignments and other time-sensitive goods moving between the islands and mainland India.
The concerns come despite substantial investment in airport infrastructure. The new integrated terminal at Veer Savarkar International Airport was inaugurated in July 2023, significantly increasing the airport’s passenger-handling capacity.
Call for year-round connectivity
Industry representatives are now questioning the conventional distinction between an “on-season” and “off-season” for Andaman tourism.
Their argument is that cutting capacity during periods of weaker demand can become self-reinforcing: fewer flights push up fares, expensive fares deter visitors, falling tourist arrivals weaken local businesses, and weaker demand then provides the rationale for further capacity reductions.
They want the cycle broken through a minimum level of assured year-round connectivity.
Stakeholders have called for the Lieutenant Governor’s Administration, Ministry of Civil Aviation, airlines, tourism and business associations and fisheries representatives to jointly examine a longer-term connectivity framework for the islands.
They also want improved air-cargo capacity and measures to protect island residents from extreme fare increases, particularly when travel is unavoidable.
For an economy where tourism supports hotels, ferries, taxis, restaurants, water sports and hundreds of smaller businesses, the stakeholders argue that the consequences of reduced connectivity cannot be measured merely by airline passenger numbers.
They also point to the medical implications. Islanders requiring specialised treatment frequently need to travel to mainland India, making reliable and reasonably priced air connectivity particularly important during emergencies.
The larger question, according to the stakeholders, is whether connectivity to a remote island territory should be viewed like any other commercial airline route.
For Mohd Jadwet and the other industry representatives who spoke to The Wave Andaman, the answer is clear: reliable air connectivity is not merely about bringing tourists to the islands. It is an economic and social lifeline connecting Andaman and Nicobar with the rest of the country.
