Bengaluru: The capital city of Karnataka, Bengaluru, will boast of another airport in coming years. This was announced by the state’s infrastructure development minister MB Patil here on Sunday (July 7), adding that a meeting will be held soon to decided the location for the 2nd airport.
It’s said that the load factor at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), which is operational since May 2008, was attributed to the serious consideration in the state government for opening of another airport. Reports say that the state government is mulling Sarjapura and Kanakapura road as the most viable locations for the airport in keeping with burgeoning load of passengers. “If connectivity to the current airport becomes a priority then places like Tumakurur and Dobbaspet will be ‘in the lead’,” said the minister.
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“These considerations will be discussed in the next departmental meeting and further reviewed with the CM Siddaramaiah,” said Patil, adding that the matter will also be brought up in the cabinet meeting.
A section of the state government officials, however, pointed out the restrictions on new airport due to an exclusive clause with Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL). As per the BIAL’s conditions, no other airport can be built within the radius of 150 km from the KIA till 2032. This is expected to allow the development of a new airport by 2033.
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“Considering the time required for land acquisition and compensation for landowners, the government has initiated the planning process,” said the minister. Patil, however, contended that why can not Bengaluru have another airport if Mumbai have another at a distance of 36 km. “Major cities like New York and London have multiple airports nearby,” he said.
MK Stalin-led government’s decision in Tamil Nadu to build an airport in Hosur needs to be examined, whether the exclusivity clause of c applies to this situation or not, said the minister.
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Bengaluru’s KIA is one of the busiest airports in south India. The airport handled nearly 31.9 million passengers in the financial year 2022-23, behind Mumbai airport’s 44 million passengers and Delhi’s 67.3 million passengers, according to Airport Authority of India (AAI) data.
