India's Strategic Shift: Abandoning INS Baaz for a New Airport on Great Nicobar Island

India's Strategic Shift: Abandoning INS Baaz for a New Airport on Great Nicobar Island\n\nIndia has made a significant decision regarding its air power strategy in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Indian Navy's southernmost air station, INS Baaz, will no longer receive a 9,000-foot runway extension. Instead, a new ₹13,000-crore civil-military airport near Chingen and Galathea Bay will serve both civilian and military needs.\n\nThis development marks a significant shift in India's strategy for enhancing air power at the southern end of the Andaman and Nicobar chain, near the approaches to the Malacca Strait. The new airport is expected to be completed within about five years.\n\nINS Baaz at Campbell Bay currently has a relatively short runway. In May 2026, The Tribune reported that the Navy had sought to extend it from roughly 3,000 feet to 9,000–10,000 feet, enabling bigger maritime-surveillance and other aircraft to operate out of Great Nicobar. The extension and associated naval jetty had reportedly been pending approval for almost five years.\n\nThe requirement was strategically important given that Great Nicobar offers a forward location from which India can monitor and respond to activity around the eastern Indian Ocean and the Malacca approaches.\n\nAccording to reports quoting defence and government sources, feasibility studies concluded that extending INS Baaz's existing runway to around 10,000 feet would involve substantial terrain, reclamation, and environmental challenges.\n\nThe proposed Chingen airport near Galathea Bay, about 30 km from INS Baaz, will serve both civilian and military aviation needs. The new facility is part of the much larger ₹81,000-crore Great Nicobar development project, which includes a transshipment port and its associated infrastructure.\n\nThe decision comes against the backdrop of infrastructure development on Great Coco Island, Myanmar, roughly 55 km north of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Satellite imagery published by Chatham House in 2023 showed Great Coco's runway had reached about 2,300 metres, with new hangars, accommodation facilities, a causeway, and a radar installation.\n\nHowever, the oft-repeated description of Great Coco as a confirmed Chinese military or 'spy base' is not borne out by the evidence. Chatham House's assessment found that the facilities appeared to be operated by Myanmar's Tatmadaw and noted that India's own officials had previously dismissed claims of a Chinese military installation there.\n\nThe Chingen facility could ultimately give India a much larger aviation footprint on Great Nicobar than the existing INS Baaz airfield can provide. Its dual-use status also means the project will have to balance military requirements with civilian aviation, environmental restrictions, and the wider Great Nicobar development programme.\n\nFor the Indian Navy and Andaman and Nicobar Command, the immediate effect is that the long-promised INS Baaz runway extension will not deliver the planned capability. Instead, India is betting on a new greenfield facility, the construction of which is expected to take several years.\n\nThis strategic shift has significant implications for India's air power and its ability to project power in the region. The new airport will provide a much-needed boost to India's military capabilities and will enable the country to better respond to emerging security challenges in the Indian Ocean.\n\nAs India continues to develop its infrastructure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, it is clear that the country is committed to enhancing its air power and military capabilities in the region. The new airport on Great Nicobar Island is a significant step in this direction and will play a critical role in India's future security and defense strategies.