India Plans New Airport For Both Military, Civilian Aircraft In Lakshadweep
NDTV
From the military point of view, the airfield would give India a strong capability as it can be used as a base to keep an eye on the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean region.
Even as India is looking to promote the Lakshadweep islands for tourism, India is now planning to develop a new airfield at the Minicoy Islands there that would be capable of operating military aircraft, including fighter jets, along with commercial ones.
"The plan is to have a joint airfield that would be capable of operating fighter jets, military transport planes and commercial aircraft," government sources told ANI.
Even though the proposals have been moved to the government for developing this new airfield in the Minicoy Islands in the past too, this plan of having a joint-use defence airfield has been revived in recent times and is being actively progressed, they informed.