Govt may propose two locations for Bengaluru's proposed second airport by February 17: M B Patil

Industries & Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil indicated on Saturday that the government may even propose two locations to the Union government for the proposed second Bengaluru airport.

Locations situated along the Nelamangala-Mangaluru National Highway (NH-75) and Kanakapura Road, stretching towards Mysuru Road, have emerged as front-runners for the second airport.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru City Development portfolio, is reportedly in favour of building the new airport in the city’s southern direction while Home Minister G Parameshwara wants it closer to his home district of Tumakuru.

“By February 17, after the Invest Karnataka summit, we may send one or even two proposals to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The AAI will screen what we send and then let us know which site is suitable. There is still much to do,” Patil told reporters. “If both proposals are okayed, then we will decide based on the interest of the state.”

Patil specified that there was no confusion about the second airport. “I am personally monitoring this,” he said. “We have made a shortlist of four sites. Of them, we are particularly focusing on two sites. We have briefed the chief minister once. Another round of briefing will be held,” the minister said, refusing to disclose the shortlisted sites.

“When we decide (on the location), we will spell out the reasons transparently,” he said.

Karnataka started doing its homework on building a second airport for Bengaluru in June 2024. “We have started work because it will take 7-8 years to complete,” he said.

“The clause that no other airport can come up within a 150-km radius of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) ends in 2033. Also, the KIA will meet its capacity of 100 million passengers by 2030,” he said.

The location of the new airport must be viable from the investors point-of-view, Patil argued.

“Say, if I take the airport to Vijayapura and provide land, will investors come? Investors such as Ambani, Tata, Adani, Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL) or whoever...they will look at viability. We gave BIAL a 25-year exclusivity clause only for its viability,” Patil said.