Amid an ongoing political war of words over new infrastructure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Ministry of Defence has decided to focus on an upcoming greenfield dual-use airport at Chingen and not extend the existing naval airfield at INS Baaz.The greenfield airport will come up at Chingen, adjoining Galathea Bay on Great Nicobar Island, part of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. INS Baaz is 30 km north of it at Campbell Bay on the same island.The airport will cost Rs 13,000 crore and will be shared between the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Defence. It is expected to be ready in five years.The Tribune had first reported the new airport on Great Nicobar Island (GNI) in its December 13, 2025 edition.Extension of INS Baaz has been dropped, top Defence Ministry sources said, adding that the base, with a runway of almost 4,500 ft suitable for smaller aircraft, will continue to function. The new facility at Galathea Bay will complement INS Baaz.Extending the runway at INS Baaz to allow operations of larger aircraft would have caused significantly greater disturbance to flora, fauna, and the coastline than building a greenfield site at Galathea Bay, the sources said.For the greenfield airport, five sites including INS Baaz were evaluated for topography, air navigation obstructions, impact on tribal populations, and flora and fauna before zeroing in on Galathea Bay.The possibility of developing INS Baaz had limitations that forced the idea to be dropped, a Defence Ministry official said. The site adjoining INS Baaz is dominated by a hill feature over 80 metres high. Significant hill cutting and dredging of the shallow coastline would have been required to ensure safe aviation for large aircraft. The site also has limited scope for future expansion and cannot accommodate infrastructure required for an international airport. Further, expanding the runway at INS Baaz would require extensive land reclamation and would potentially pass through existing habitations.The greenfield airport is part of the Government of India’s proposed development of GNI, which includes three other projects: an International Container Transhipment Port (ICTP), a township, and a power plant. The opposition has been questioning the project, calling it an “environmental disaster”.Defence Ministry sources said calling GNI development a “commercial project” reflects “geographical illiteracy”. “This project should have been done about 30 years ago,” a source said.The intent is to leverage the islands’ location and build them up the way Singapore developed as a logistics hub and centre for industries including logistics, tourism, IT, and high-tech sectors.The Strait of Malacca is just 40 nautical miles from Galathea Bay. About 80 per cent of China’s crude and 70 per cent of its LNG pass through this strait.About 166 sq km have been designated for the GNI project. Eighty-one per cent of this island area will remain part of the national park under Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve, as well as forest and tribal conservation areas. Additional land is being notified as part of the reserve.