Hassan airport to be ready by April 2025: Civil Aviation Minister Naidu

New Delhi: The long awaited airport at Hassan will be realised by April 2025, Union Minister of Civil Aviation K Rammohan Naidu said here on Thursday as the Parliament passed the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024 to replace the existing aircraft law that was passed 90 years ago.

“Over 60 per cent of the Hassan airport has been physically completed whereas financially 56.5 per cent progress was made. April 2025 is the projected date completion for the airport," Naidu said while responding to the debates on the bill that will replace the Aircraft Act of 1936.

The minister made a specific reference to former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda who was present in the Rajya Sabha all along and participated in the debate.

“The airport will not only benefit farmers but also facilitate tourism. Shravanabelagola, Belur, and Halebeedu are internationally renowned, and an airport in Hassan will bring more foreign tourists while also aiding farmers in exporting their produce,” Gowda said.

The nonagenarian former PM recounted the project’s history noting that it was sanctioned during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.

“At that time, the present Kempegowda International Airport, was cleared by then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao and then Civil Aviation Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, but it was designated only for cargo. When I became the Prime Minister, the Kempegowda airport was cleared for passenger use, and I also cleared the Hassan airport project,” he said.

“Unfortunately, despite several governments coming and going, the Hassan airport project has not taken off,” he lamented.

In his reply Naidu said, “Your dream of having a very good airport at Hassan, catering to the demands of farmers will be a reality as early as possible.”

The minister said the government was making rules for advanced air mobility systems that can take-off and land vertically. Such vehicles will be able to ferry people from the airport to cities so that people don’t have to spend hours on the road stuck in traffic jams.

“The rules being framed by the ministry will take care of the verti-pods needed by these vehicles and their airworthiness. When the industry says they are ready with the vehicles, we will be ready with the rules,” he said.

On skyrocketing airfare, the minister said while the government was committed to improve accessibility and would take steps in this regard, but the biggest chunk of the fare went to fuel prices and states controlled the VAT on fuel prices.

The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024 was passed in the Rajya Sabha by a voice vote. It was earlier approved by the Lok Sabha on August 9. The bill seeks to remove redundancies and replace the Aircraft Act, 1934, which has been amended 21 times, prompting the Union government to bring out a new legislation for the ease of doing business and expanding the aviation business.