Prime minister Narendra Modi visited lakshadweep during the first week of january and tweeted a few images showcasing the "stunning beauty of its islands". The prime minister described his trip to the islands as "an enriching journey of learning and growing" and mentioned activities like "early morning walks" and snorkeling. This instantly generated discussion about lakshadweep as a possible alternative to the Maldives, with which there has been a diplomatic spat in the months since the island nation's new administration took office.
Lakshadweep experienced a surge in google searches, and israel announced the beginning of a desalination scheme there to promote tourism. To capitalize on the recent excitement around lakshadweep, airport development plans have been revealed, and corporate and industrial giants are announcing an expansion to Lakshadweep.
Numbers yet to catch upAccording to figures supplied by the DGCA, 2,312 people went from kochi to Agatti in January. This was comparable to the 2,315 people that went between kochi and Agatti in january 2023, although it was somewhat more than the 2,253 passengers that took a flight in december 2023. The Airports Authority of india provided data showing 4,491 footfall (arriving and leaving passengers) at Agatti. An examination of the 2023 figures reveals that the trip has been running practically nonstop for nearly every month.A search on Alliance Air's website for open flights for next month yields no results, suggesting that the flights are full, which is one of the reasons why the number of passengers has not grown. There is just one flight, which is usually full.
Because of this, even if there is a large demand for air travel, the supply of available seats will prevent further growth in this market unless additional capacity is provided.
Barrage of flights on the wayIndiGo has indicated that it would want to start offering flights to Agatti. From
kochi, this should result in twice as many flights to Agatti by the end of
march or the beginning of April. Fly91, the newest regional airline in the nation, has been granted permission to operate flights to Agatti from locations outside of Kochi. This might allow the airline to link Agatti with its
home base of Goa. Fly91 recently debuted its aircraft and uniforms. Although the route and specifics are yet unknown, SpiceJet has also stated that it would soon begin operating flights to Agatti on part of its exclusive rights.
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