An old video of Agatti airport in Lakshadweep shared as recent amid the Maldives controversy.

The viral video, which has been available on the Internet since 2021, does not show the landing of the first flight to Agatti Airport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to Lakshadweep recently. He then shared pictures and a note about the same on Twitter and called for tourism promotion. Then several social media users responded comparing the islands with the Maldives. This became a diplomatic row when three deputy ministers at the Youth Ministry of Maldives made disparaging remarks against India and PM Modi. 

As the controversy over Maldivian ministers’ remarks against PM Modi resulted in a boycott Maldives trend online, a video claiming to show the first flight that landed recently at the Agatti Airport of Lakshadweep is going viral on social media.

The footage is believed to have been shot from inside the plane and the accompanying caption reads, “1st flight landing on ghareebo ka Lakshadweep agatti Island. #BoycottMaldives”

Archive link

Fact Check-

We conducted a reverse image search on Google with the key frames of the viral video to find the original source. As a result, we found the same footage was published on a YouTube channel named click and see media on 30 July, 2021. The caption states as “flight landing on Lakshadweep Agatti Island”, but the incident was 2 and half years old. This proves that this video is not recent.

In further search we found that Former Aviation minister and Rajya Sabha MP Praful Patel had tweeted the other day that the central government is planning to expand it to the international airport. “Exciting news! Govt of India plans to transform Agatti Airport into a world-class international facility. This game-changer will boost tourism, connectivity & development in Lakshadweep, offering immense potential for the islands”.

Agatti airport is the sole airstrip available in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The airfield, operated by Airport Authority of India, was inaugurated in April 1988 for operation of DO 228. It was last upgraded in 2010.  In 2013, the government had planned to extend the runway to the sea, but it has not been implemented so far.According to the Times of India report, “Lakshadweep’s Agatti airfield in witnessed the first ever night landing by an aircraft on 13^th October 2022. 

Amid the Maldives controversy, the Indian government plans to develop a new airport in Lakshadweep for both military and civilian aircraft. The news reports on that can be read here.

Conclusion–

Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be False. The viral video, which has been available on the Internet since 2021, does not show the landing of the first flight to Agatti Airport.