Historic feat: Air India flight achieves first successful night landing at Port Blair airport

An Air India Airbus A321, carrying 68 passengers, made a successful night landing at Port Blair Airport ​INS Utkrosh on Friday evening, marking a significant milestone for air connectivity to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

INS Utkrosh, under the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), shares the premises with Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair.

"The aircraft departed from Kolkata at approximately 5:40 pm and successfully landed in Port Blair at 7:34 pm. The aircraft then proceeded to Veer Savarkar International Terminal to disembark passengers," said the Andaman and Nicobar Command in a statement.

This successful night landing is a major advancement in enhancing air connectivity to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, promising benefits for local residents and a boost to tourism.

The achievement was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Indian Navy, Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) over the past few years.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) upgraded the Instrument Landing System (ILS) to CAT-I at Veer Savarkar International Airport to accommodate the anticipated increase in tourist inflow.