India has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) announcing the closure of airspace over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for three-hour windows on May 23 and 24, likely in connection with a high-security defence operation. The airspace restriction, issued on May 16, prohibits civilian aircraft from flying over a polygonal area in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea from ground level to unlimited altitude.
According to the NOTAM, the restricted zone spans a corridor nearly 500 km in length. The airspace will be closed between 01:30 and 04:30 UTC (7:00 am to 10:00 am IST) on both days. Crucially, no alternate flight routes have been provided for the affected nine international routes, an unusual move that underscores the importance and sensitivity of the planned activity.
Why is Indian airspace over the Andaman Sea closed?
The blanket restriction across all altitudes suggests that the activity involves potentially hazardous or sensitive military operations—most likely a missile or high-altitude weapons system test.
Although the NOTAM does not explicitly state the nature of the activity—common practice for military notices—patterns from previous exercises offer clues. India has frequently used the Andaman region for testing advanced weaponry. In January 2025, the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was test-fired in salvo mode from this location. Other recent examples include the successful test of an air-launched ballistic missile in April 2024 and an extended-range BrahMos test in March 2022.
Such closures typically point to defence-related activities that carry safety risks for civilian aircraft, especially during missile launches or high-altitude weapons tests. Aerial surveys or non-weapon operations generally affect only lower altitudes and involve narrower airspace blocks.
Strategic military importance of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands hold strategic military importance due to their location near the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes. This makes them a prime zone for testing long-range weapon systems intended to bolster India’s maritime security and deterrence capabilities.
As of now, there has been no official comment from the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Airports Authority of India, or the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Their silence only adds to the speculation that a significant defence-related operation is planned.
While the government has not disclosed details, the scale and scope of the airspace closure over the Andaman region strongly suggest a missile or weapons system test.