Andaman Airfare Anger Spills Onto Streets, Protest Planned Outside Airport on September 3

Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 1: Growing anger over high airfares and reduced flight connectivity in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is set to spill onto the streets, with a public demonstration planned outside Veer Savarkar International Airport at 8.30 am on September 3.

TSG Bhasker, Chairman of the Campaign Committee of the Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee (ANTCC), is among those mobilising support. The local Congress is taking the lead, though organisers have described it as a wider public initiative and called on residents, businesses and other stakeholders to participate.

Bhasker has repeatedly raised the airfare issue with the Andaman and Nicobar Administration and the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The demonstration comes after months of concerns over reduced flight capacity and steep fares on routes connecting the islands with mainland India.

In April, The Wave Andaman reported that reduced flight capacity had pushed one-way fares from Sri Vijaya Puram to Chennai and Kolkata to between Rs 19,000 and Rs 25,000 on some dates, while fares to Delhi had climbed as high as Rs 40,000.

The pressure continued into the monsoon. In August, The Wave Andaman reported that representatives of key island industries estimated weekly flights to and from Veer Savarkar International Airport had fallen to around 36, compared with about 62 in July 2025 and 72 in August 2025.

The Wave Andaman could not independently verify those figures, although published schedules showed some services were seasonal.

For islanders, the impact goes beyond discretionary travel. With no road or rail connection to mainland India and sea journeys taking considerably longer, residents depend heavily on flights for specialised medical treatment, higher education, employment, business and family emergencies.

Pressure Builds

Reduced connectivity has also affected the wider island economy.

The Wave Andaman’s August report documented concerns raised by representatives of tourism, hospitality, transport, fisheries and other businesses over fewer visitors, expensive tickets and reduced cargo capacity.

Those who spoke to The Wave Andaman included 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.

The issue subsequently drew intervention from Andaman and Nicobar Islands MP Bishnu Pada Ray. As The Wave Andaman reported on August 22, Ray sought an urgent high-level meeting with Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu over the connectivity crisis.

Ray proposed bringing together the Civil Aviation and Home ministries, Defence authorities, the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, airlines and island business and tourism representatives. He sought consideration of minimum assured year-round flight capacity, measures against sharp seasonal reductions, steps to address unreasonable airfare escalation, adequate cargo capacity and provisions for medical and emergency travel.

The Andaman Association of Tour Operators (AATO) has separately taken up the issue with senior Administration and airport officials. An AATO delegation led by its president M. Vinod met Chief Secretary Gyanesh Bharti, Civil Aviation Secretary Rajanish Kumar Singh and Veer Savarkar International Airport Director Muneer Madampat on August 24, The Wave Andaman reported.

There are, however, indications that flight capacity could improve as the tourism season approaches and airlines restore seasonal services.

The larger concern raised by island stakeholders is therefore not simply the price of a ticket on a particular day, but the volatility in fares and availability whenever capacity contracts.

Protest On September 3

Bhasker and the organisers are seeking more flights, greater scrutiny of fares and measures to ensure affordable year-round connectivity.

Bhasker has previously raised the issue formally. The Wave Andaman reported in May that he had written to the Chief Secretary after fares to Delhi were reported at Rs 18,000-Rs 25,000 and those to Chennai at Rs 13,000-Rs 16,000.

Organisers have also alleged “cartel-like” pricing by airlines. No evidence establishing coordination among airlines has been cited, and there has been no regulatory finding establishing cartelisation on the Andaman routes.

Participants are expected to wear black badges and carry copies of high-priced airline tickets, with organisers seeking to draw the attention of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration and a visiting Parliamentary Committee.

While connectivity could improve as the tourism season approaches, the agitation raises a broader question: whether an island territory so dependent on aviation should repeatedly face sharp reductions in connectivity during leaner months.

Islanders To Speak

Against this backdrop, The Wave Andaman will launch an online survey to gauge public sentiment over the handling of the air connectivity issue.

The survey will ask:

“With airfares soaring and flight services being reduced, do you feel the government is listening to the concerns of islanders?”

Readers will be able to vote Yes, No or Can’t Say, with the results to be subsequently published by The Wave Andaman.

For residents of a geographically isolated Union Territory, reliable and affordable air connectivity affects healthcare, education, employment, tourism, commerce and access to the rest of India.

The September 3 demonstration will put those concerns before the authorities, while The Wave Andaman survey will give islanders an opportunity to say whether they believe they are being heard.