Airport push must pass viability test

Passenger demand and economic sustainability should shape the Ballari airport.

The renewed push to build an airport in Ballari has again brought to the fore a familiar dilemma in infrastructure planning: should such projects be guided by economic viability or by political optics?

The discussion assumes urgency as the Karnataka government prepares to hold a meeting between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and legislators from Ballari, Vijayanagara, and Koppal to explore the possibility of establishing a common airport for the region.

The proposal deserves careful consideration, but it must not be reduced to a prestige contest among districts. Airports are among the most capital-intensive public infrastructure projects. Once built, they demand continuous expenditure on maintenance, security, and navigation systems. If passenger demand is weak, such facilities quickly turn into white elephants.

Unfortunately, the experience of India’s regional aviation programme offers ample evidence of this risk. The UDAN Scheme was launched to democratise air travel by connecting smaller cities.

While it brought nearly a hundred airports onto the aviation map, many were reduced to silent terminals once the initial subsidy period ended.

Under the scheme, airlines receive viability gap funding for only three years. When this support expires, carriers operating on thin margins often withdraw from routes that cannot sustain commercial operations.

Across the country, several airports built with great fanfare now see little or no traffic. The pattern is visible even in Karnataka. Airports in Mysuru and Shivamogga handle just a handful of services, while Kalaburagi has struggled to maintain consistent connectivity.

These examples highlight that airports cannot thrive merely because they are built; they survive only when passenger demand justifies their existence. This is why the suggestion of creating a single, strategically located airport to serve Ballari, Vijayanagara, and Koppal merits attention.

A consolidated regional hub, accessible to neighbouring districts and even parts of Andhra Pradesh, would concentrate passenger traffic and improve the chances of commercial sustainability. Building airports for each district may satisfy local pride, but it risks repeating the costly mistakes seen elsewhere.

The Karnataka government’s proposal to extend the subsidy framework and develop its own civil aviation policy is welcome. However, policy reform alone will not suffice unless infrastructure decisions are grounded firmly in rigorous feasibility studies.

Many airports have been built in places where road and rail connectivity are excellent, making air travel an unnecessary and more expensive option. Infrastructure must serve people, not political symbolism.

Airports will truly take flight only when they are economic gateways that sustain connectivity and growth. They must be built on viability, not vanity.