JOIN USThe Union Cabinet on Wednesday decided to rename the Bangalore airport after the city's founder, Kempegowda, acceding to a long-pending demand of the Karnataka government.
The Bangalore airport is the fifth-busiest such facility in the country, built over an area of 4,000 acres.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on Wednesday evening.
The airport, owned and operated by Bangalore International Airport Pvt Ltd (BIAL), is a premier greenfield airport in South India which became operational on May 24, 2008. KSSIDC, an entity of the Karnataka government, the Airports Authority of India, GVK Group, Siemens and Zurich Airport are shareholders.
The Karnataka Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution regarding this on December 10 last year. The Legislative Council also passed a similar resolution two days later to rename Bengaluru International Airport as “Kempegowda International Airport”. Kempegowda is the Bangalore’s founder, whose 503rd birth anniversary was celebrated in April.
Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had, in April last year, approved the proposal to rename the airport following the recommendation of the Karnataka government.
Various organisations had suggested names like Tipu Sultan, social reformer Basaveshwara and former Mysore Dewan Sir M Visvesvaraya for the airport. Last May, Tipu Sultan United Front had even staged a protest.