Second airport for Bengaluru: Three locations identified; Central team will inspect them in April, says Minister

KSIIDC prepares for second international airport in Bengaluru, with AAI team inspecting potential sites in Karnataka.

Two locations on Kanakapura Road and one on the Nelamangala-Kunigal Road have been identified for the second international greenfield airport for Bengaluru and a multidisciplinary team from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will visit the State between April 7 and 9 to inspect them, Industries Minister M.B. Patil has said.

The Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation has already paid a fee of ₹1.21 crore to the authority, he said, speaking to the media on Saturday at his residence in Bengaluru.

“We had written to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on March 5 requesting them to inspect the final identified sites for the proposed airport. As per their instructions, the team will visit. We have prepared documents such as the revenue map of these sites, 10 years’ worth of weather reports, detailed images of the sites’ geographic features, maps from the Survey of India, and operational details of the proposed airport,” he explained.

Keeping in mind the condition that there should not be another airport within a 150-km radius of the present one before 2033, work on the second airport is being planned, Mr. Patil said.

“Some are insisting on constructing the proposed airport near Sira in Tumakuru, but this is not feasible. If an airport is built in Sira, it will be just like the district-level airports in Shivamogga and Vijayapura. To serve the people of Bengaluru, the airport must be located near the city. Only then will investors be interested in constructing the airport. Without this, the project will not be feasible,” he said, in response to a question.