A joint airfield will soon be established on Minicoy Island in Lakshadweep, equipped to handle not just commercial planes, but also military aircraft, including high-performance fighter jets, a government source told the Indian news agency.
At present, Lakshadweep has only one airstrip on Agatti Island which limits the operation of the types of aircraft.
With this new joint airfield, India would gain significant military capability, serving as a strategic base for surveillance and monitoring of the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean region.
According to the revised proposal, the Indian Air Force would be in the lead to run the operations from Minicoy.
The island territory has been making headlines after the visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.
Politicians from the ruling party of the Maldives, through their posts on X, criticized India's efforts to promote Lakshadweep tourism.
They also accused India of targeting the Maldives and said India faces significant challenges in competing with the Maldives in beach tourism.