No scheduled international flights at present but there are occasional charter flights.

There is limited infrastructure for tourism on these islands.

Even otherwise, being an international airport doesn’t necessarily mean an airport has scheduled or even charter international flights available for tourism purposes.

Andaman is very very nice and would be ideal for tourism. As is Lakshadweep (north of the Maledives).
BUT

Due to the strategic military importance and (partly) to save the pristine nature the Indian government doesn't actively promote tourism in these islands. Having anything close to the shoreline for example is not allowed anywhere in India, overwater bugalows like in the Maledives would be an absolute no go. The Indian tourist that venture there have very little respect for nature either, I recall an Andaman snorkeling tour we did in the 90s where people had no clue about the preciousness of the nature they were experiencing.

In a way I'm happy things are the way they are. The main island is overrun with government and military families and the local tribes are being sidelined in a bad way. If tourism picks up the situation will be worse. That said I doubt anyone from S.E. Asia would vacation in India? ;)

Am I right in thinking the airport is still a commissioned frigate in the Indian Navy?

Visiting the islands has something I have wanted to do for a while - especially if I get a window seat to take snaps of North Sentinel

Yes it's called INS Utkrosh even though it's a naval airbase.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Utkrosh

INS used to stand for Indian Naval Ship but I guess that term is flexible :)

They'll be following old RN custom of "stone frigates" in that respect...

BA offer a connection to there in partnership with Vistara, so that'll be an interesting one for the logbook

What does tourism have to do military issues? I can understand military places that are ultra-secretive and in such cases there is no tourism in the area at all. But its clear there is some tourism.

It looks like new trains have been planned. Is that something new or something that has always been promised but never delivered?

All things tourist in India tend to get messed up by mass domestic tourism and other things the Indian government encourages when its favorites are given preferential access to the prized cows to milk the cow and the public. Kashmir is a case in point on the direction that Andaman and Nicobar islands would go with mass tourism being opened up. But for now the GOI and its favorites can make far more money on the mainland, and so the Andaman and Nicobar islands are spared and used as a convenient propaganda piece about “pristine” India.

It’s always stood for Indian naval ship or Indian naval station as far as I used to hear it from the senior military brass that were my neighbors near Khan Market in Delhi.

I think Lakshadweep is a preferred target for those resigned to take their honeymoon within India's borders. We had a half-hearted plan to visit some years back (not as honeymooners :D), but got put off by the requirement to get special permission. Tiresome though not insurmountable, but life's too short..

I think Andaman is unlikely to have the same attraction for Indian newly-weds, and some form of protected area permits are required, with certainly a more serious version of PAP for the remoter islands. The murder of an American missionary on one of those remote islands a few years' back is unlikely to encourage tourism: and for their own reasons, the indian government is perferctly happy with that status quo.

Well, you can go on tours to the island, just stay about 5 nautical off the shore... The flights to and from the area do fly right above it, and there is a good YT video of it too...

This is not really to do with Intl Flights, but for years Private Yachts originating from Thailand have been calling on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Not scheduled services but private charters I'd imagine.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com.../101822199.cms

New terminal, supposedly capable to take B764... why would anyone consider B764 arriving in P. Blair? :confused:

Better to have it now then not and need it I suppose