Andaman airspace to be closed for 3 hours tomorrow for high altitude weapon test

The airspace over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was closed for three hours on Friday from 7 am due to a high altitude weapon test conducted by the tri-services command, according to an official as quoted by PTI. The same will be the case for tomorrow, too.

"Airspace over and around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with maximum corridor length of around 500 km will be restricted between 01:30 and 04:30 Universal Time Coordinated UTC (7 am and 10 am IST) on May 23 and 24," the NOTAM read.

"We have already issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on May 16 and instructed that no civilian aircraft will be allowed to fly over Andaman on May 23 and May 24," a senior official from the Andaman and Nicobar Command told PTI.

In light of the airspace closure, the official said that a high-altitude weapon test today was completed successfully and will be holding a similar test tomorrow. "This is a routine practice here in Andaman and Nicobar Islands as we have done similar tests in the past also," they added.

The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is recognized as the only tri-services command in India.

(With PTI inputs)