Bengaluru: Karnataka’s Minister for Infrastructure, M B Patil, announced on Sunday that a meeting will be held soon to finalize the location for Bengaluru’s proposed second airport.
Minister Patil outlined that the government will consider two primary factors before making a decision: the passenger load and the connectivity to the existing Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).
“If passenger load is the priority, then areas such as Sarjapura and Kanakapura Road are strong contenders. However, if the focus is on connectivity to the current airport, places like Tumkur and Dabaspete take the lead,” Patil explained.
These factors will be thoroughly discussed in the upcoming departmental meeting and further reviewed with the chief minister. The matter will also be presented in the cabinet meeting, he informed reporters.
The exclusivity agreement with Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), which currently prevents the establishment of another airport within a 150-kilometer radius, will expire in 2032. This will open the door for the potential development of a new airport by 2033.
Considering the extensive time required for land acquisition and compensating landowners, the government has already started the planning process, the minister added.
Drawing parallels with major global cities, Patil noted that cities like New York and London have multiple airports in close proximity. “In Mumbai, the distance between the two airports is just 36 kilometers,” he said.
Regarding the Tamil Nadu government’s plan to build an airport in Hosur, Patil mentioned that it is necessary to investigate whether the exclusivity clause with BIAL applies in this context.
Emphasizing KIA’s significance, the minister’s office recently noted that it is the third busiest airport in India, following Delhi and Mumbai. Last year, KIA handled 37.5 million passengers and over 400,000 tonnes of cargo.
The current airport is expected to reach its maximum passenger capacity by 2033 and its peak cargo handling capacity by 2040, according to recent projections.