Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin
Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Industries Minister T R B Raaja on Tuesday said the government would “very soon” take a decision on the location for Hosur airport with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) submitting a detailed report on its study of the two shortlisted sites.
Sources told DH that the AAI has found both sites – villages close to the private airport owned by Taneja Aviation and Aerospace Limited (TAAL) in Belagondapalli, and another located close to the highway connecting Chennai with Bengaluru – as suitable for building the greenfield airport.
The AAI, in its report, has spoken about merits and demerits of both the locations shortlisted for the study. “AAI has said both sites are suitable for the airport. The ball is now in the state government’s court,” a source said.
Industry bodies in Hosur have been pushing for Belagondapalli on the Hosur-Thalli road contending that it is located in plains and hence, suitable for building the airport. They also told DH in January that the state government should devise a “proper plan” on how it intends to acquire land for the ambitious project.
Responding to a question in the Assembly, Raaja said after Chief Minister M K Stalin made the announcement about Hosur airport in June 2024, five sites were chosen for a study by AAI. The government after going through the study shortlisted two sites from the five and asked the AAI to make a detailed analysis.
“Very soon, there will be a decision on the location for Hosur airport. We are committed towards building an airport in Hosur,” Raaja added.
Though the AAI has suggested both locations for the facility likely to cover an area of 2,000 acres, the government will have to undertake a series of studies, including assessing the extent of government land available in each location, before finalising the site.
“We will choose one site from the two shortlisted locations after considering several factors, including airspace. The decision will be final in about a month,” a source said.
Once the site is chosen, the Tamil Nadu government will inform the Union Civil Aviation Ministry about its decision following which a No Objection Certificate is needed from the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) since the new facility will come within 150 km of the Kempegowda International Airport.
A green signal from BIAL is necessary to build an airport in Hosur due to the concessionaire agreement signed between the airport operator and the Union government that no such facility should come up within 150 km till 2033.
The move by Tamil Nadu to build an airport in Hosur comes close on the heels of the Karnataka government scouting for land for a second airport for Bengaluru, besides the effort to operationalise the HAL airport in the heart of the state capital.