New Delhi, Dec. 22 -- The government has started work on an airport at the southernmost tip of India on Great Nicobar Island, a move expected to significantly enhance India's defence capabilities and boost tourism in the region, according to exclusive documents accessed by ANI.

The proposed airport will allow operations of larger military aircraft and substantially reduce the response time of defence aircraft in the Indian Ocean Region, a critical factor for national security. The next major airport, Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair, is located over 500 kilometres away.

According to the plan, the project's objective is to provide a long-term vision and framework for airport development while remaining realistic in the s...