The Indian Navy has commissioned a new airbase, INS Kohasa, 100 miles north of Port Blair in the strategically located Andaman and Nicobar islands.
INS Kohassa is an Indian naval air station under the joint-services Andaman and Nicobar Command of the Indian Armed Forces. It is located at Shibpur, a village located on North Andaman Island.
This will be India’s fourth air Station and the third naval air facility in the archipelago. The Navy currently operates air strips at Port Blair and INS Baaz at Campbell Bay, while the Air Force has a base in Car Nicobar. The islands also house India’s only tri-service command.
With increased contestation in the region and in an effort to keep an eye on movements, India has considerably upgraded military infrastructure in the islands.
Location: Shibpur, Diglipur, Andaman & Nicobar
Airport type: Naval Air Station
Operator:Indian Navy
Short History of Kohassa
INS Kohassa was established as Naval Air Station (NAS) Shibpur in 2001 as a Forward Operating Air Base (FOAB) for enhanced surveillance in North Andaman.
In 2017, it was reported that the runway length would be extended to 3000m after acquisition of about 100 hectares of land. This will enable the operation of wide-bodied civil and defense flights. The station, earlier known as NAS Shibpur, was renamed as INS Kohassa after the extension of facilities in January 2019
What is Runways in Airbase or Airport ?
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a “defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft”. Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (grass, dirt, gravel, ice, or salt).
