Bengaluru Second Airport: Bengaluru may get second airport, three sites shortlisted; all you need to know | Bengaluru News

BENGALURU: The debate around a second international airport for Bengaluru has gained momentum again with industries and infrastructure development minister MB Patil set to meet Union civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu soon to push for the project. The move comes even as a report from Airports Authority of India (AAI), which inspected three shortlisted sites in April, is awaited.Authorities expect passenger traffic at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) to hit 110 million annually by 2035, necessitating a second airport. “We have proposed a new airport now since it will take six to seven years to start operations,” Patil said. He said he would study the progress of airports being built in Noida and Navi Mumbai — both less than 150km from existing airports — before discussing the proposal with Naidu.The time frame is ideal since a concessionaire agreement between the Centre and Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), which operates KIA, restricts the opening of a new airport within 150 km until May 2033, when BIAL completes 25 years.In March, the state sent a proposal to the Centre, offering 4,500 acres of land and identifying three preferred sites out of seven shortlisted earlier. Two sites lie along Kanakapura Road — near Kaggalipura in Bengaluru Urban district and Harohalli in Bengaluru South (Ramanagara). The third is at Chikkasolur in Bengaluru Rural district, along the Nelamangala–Kunigal road. These locations are 25-45km from the city centre.However, aviation expert Devesh Agarwal feels none of these three locations is suitable. He recommended that the airport be located between Bengaluru and Mysuru. “Besides serving several tier-2 cities in the south and southwest of Bengaluru, the airport would also aid various industries in the region,” he said. “The Bengaluru–Mysuru expressway is an added advantage.”Agarwal also suggested reviving the HAL airport. “In-city airports operate in countries like Brazil, Malaysia, and the USA. HAL can be redeveloped similarly,” he said.Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s bid to develop an international airport in Hosur — also within 150km of KIA — has added another layer of complexity. TN has identified two sites and requires a no objection certificate (NOC) from BIAL. In April, chief minister MK Stalin met CEOs of BIAL and Fairfax to push the proposal. The Centre has said all three stakeholders — BIAL, Centre and Tamil Nadu — must come to an agreement.Another big hurdle for Karnataka is land acquisition. Protests by farmers against acquisition for an aerospace park in Devanahalli have already made the govt cautious. Similar resistance is expected in Bengaluru South and Rural districts.