Karnataka government is examining a second airport for Bengaluru. M.B. Patil, the Minister for Infrastructure Development, held a discussion late on Thursday regarding the construction of a second airport for Bengaluru and instructed officials to prepare a feasibility report for the new airport, the Minister’s office said in a release.
The discussion took place at Vidhana Soudha, where Manjula, the Secretary of the Infrastructure Development Department, B.C. Satisha, Managing Director of Karnataka State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC), and D.P. Prakasha, Executive Director of KSIIDC, were among the officials present.
Minister Patil said, “Bengaluru International Airport is the third busiest airport in the country, following Delhi and Mumbai. Last year, the airport handled 37.5 million passengers and over 4,00,000 tonnes of cargo. A second airport is needed to efficiently manage the expected increase in both passenger traffic and freight in the coming years.”
Need for a second airport
Patil explained that the current airport is projected to reach its peak passenger handling capacity by 2033 and its maximum cargo handling capacity by 2040.
The statement also revealed that when the Devanahalli airport was established, the contract terms stipulated that no other airport could be constructed within a 150 kilometre radius until 2033. The Minister stressed the need to start preparations, with nine years remaining under this agreement.
Moreover, Patil underscored the necessity of beginning work on the second airport immediately, considering that land acquisition and compensation for landowners take significant time. He also highlighted the importance of a second airport to develop an industrial ecosystem beyond Bengaluru.
(Inputs from BL intern Vidushi Nautiyal)