Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met BJP leaders of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Port Blair on Thursday.
At the meeting, the party's Andaman and Nicobar Islands president Ajoy Bairagi expressed concern over the steep airfares from Port Blair to other parts of India, and how tourism was getting affected because of lower flight services due to the runway upgradation work.
"We understand the importance of the upgradation of the runway here but we requested the Union minister to ensure speedy completion of the project because this led to steep airfares," Bairagi told PTI.
The local BJP leaders also urged Singh to start flight services between Port Blair and the Shibpur airport in Diglipur to handle medical emergencies, he said.
The extension of runways at Car Nicobar and Campbell Bay airports in Great Nicobar Island was also raised with the minister, he added.
"He assured us that he will certainly look into the issues," Bairagi said.
Singh is on a two-day visit to the Union territory.
