Second airport in Bengaluru on the cards, govt asks for feasibility report

Keeping in view the needs of Bengaluru metropolis, which is growing rapidly and has attracted global attention, the government is mulling to construct a second airport for the city and is looking for suitable land for the project.

A meeting to discuss the project was held on Thursday (June 20) under the chairmanship of state Infrastructure Development Department (IDD) Minister, MB Patil.

The meeting held at the Vidhana Soudha Committee Room was also attended by department’s secretary Dr N Manjula, Karnataka Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation’s managing director Dr BC Satish, and its executive director DP Prakash.

Officials to submit feasibility report

At the meeting Patil directed concerned authorities to submit a report on the feasibility of constructing a second airport.

“I have directed the authorities to submit a feasibility report for the new airport. Kempegowda International Airport, the third busiest in India after Delhi and Mumbai, managed 37.5 million passengers and over 4 lakh tonnes of cargo last year. This highlights the necessity for a second airport to accommodate future growth," the minister said in a post on X, giving details about the meeting.

He said a second airport was necessary to develop an industrial ecosystem beyond Bengaluru.

Passenger, cargo handling capacity

“When the Devanahalli airport was established, the contract terms stipulated that no other airport could be constructed within a 150-kilometer radius until 2033. With nine years remaining under this agreement, there is a need to start preparations now. The current airport is projected to reach its peak passenger handling capacity by 2033 and its maximum cargo handling capacity by 2040,” said Patil.

While Bengaluru’s population has crossed one crore, the presence of global level companies as well as dependence of residents from districts of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh have contributed in increasing the passenger load of the current airport, he said.

“Land acquisition, distribution of compensation etc. takes a long time. So we are getting into action right away. Development of the second airport will enable industrial growth beyond the capital,” he added.

Project may come up in Tumakuru

While the government is said to be scouting for land for the second airport, Tumakuru Road is likely being considered for the project. It is because the state government in the budget for 2024-25 announced a feasibility report to extend the Metro Rail from the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre to Tumakuru on a Public Private Partnership.

State Home Minister G Parameshwara, who has been calling for the extension of Metro Rail services to Tumakuru, has proposed for it to be a possible site for the airport.

In 2022, the then BJP government under Basavraj Bommai had also announced its plans to construct an international airport in Tumakuru district to take the load off Kempegowda International Airport.

(The story first appeared in The Federal Karnataka)