The Karnataka government has begun scouting for land for a second airport in Bengaluru. State Infrastructure Development Department (IDD) Minister MB Patil chaired a meeting on June 20 to discuss the project.
The minister instructed officials to submit a feasibility report for the proposed airport. "I held a preliminary discussion with officials regarding the construction of a second airport to address the future needs of our rapidly growing global metropolis," Patil wrote on X.
The meeting, held in the Vidhana Soudha, was attended by IDD Secretary N Manjula, Karnataka Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation Managing Director BC Satish, and others.
"I have directed the authorities to submit a feasibility report for the new airport. Kempegowda International Airport, the third busiest in India after Delhi and Mumbai, managed 37.5 million passengers and over 4 lakh tonnes of cargo last year. This highlights the necessity for a second airport to accommodate future growth," said Patil.
He said there is a need for a second airport to develop an industrial ecosystem beyond Bengaluru. “When the Devanahalli airport was established, the contract terms stipulated that no other airport could be constructed within a 150-kilometer radius until 2033. With nine years remaining under this agreement, there is a need to start preparations now. The current airport is projected to reach its peak passenger handling capacity by 2033 and its maximum cargo handling capacity by 2040,” said Patil.
Second airport likely on Tumakuru Road
Sources said Tumakuru Road is a likely location for the new airport, particularly since the 2024-25 Karnataka state budget announced a feasibility report for extending the Metro rail from the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) to Tumakuru on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis.
While the 3-km Nagasandra-BIEC (Green Line) Metro section is expected to become operational in a few months, the extension to Tumakuru (around 50 km) is anticipated to boost real estate in the northwest of Bengaluru and support the future airport.
In 2022, the then Large and Medium Industries Minister Murugesh R Nirani proposed setting up an alternative airport between Tumakuru and Sira to cater to industries at Vasanthanarasapura off the Bengaluru-Pune NH. The then CM Basavaraj Bommai also announced plans in 2022 to build an international airport in Tumakuru district to decongest air traffic at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.
Also, read: Karnataka budget: Bengaluru Metro to extend to Tumakuru and Devanahalli
Home Minister G Parameshwara, MLA from the Koratagere Assembly segment, has been advocating for the Metro extension to Tumakuru. Parameshwara is also pushing for the establishment of a second airport in Tumakuru district.
However, experts suggest that extending the suburban rail from Chikkabanavara to Tumakuru could be a more feasible option.
Bengaluru airport’s T3 soon
Currently, combined capacity of T1 and T2 at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is 52 million passengers per annum (MPPA). “Following the completion of the T1 refurbishment, the total capacity will increase to 60 MPPA. Phase 2 of T2, which will add a capacity of 20 million, includes the development of 40 percent of the area on the airport’s south side, catering to a capacity of 45 million passengers,” said a spokesperson for Bangalore International Airport Limited, which operates KIA.
Also, read: Bengaluru airport’s Terminal 1 to get a facelift, work to commence by August
On the status of the upcoming T3 (third terminal), the spokesperson said, “Bengaluru airport is expected to welcome its T3 in the late 2020s or early 2030s, boosting its capacity to an impressive 90-100 million passengers annually.”
It may be recalled that the state government had turned down a proposal for a third runway at KIA citing a shortage of land. Separately, HAL Airport in the city center was shut down in 2008 when KIA began operations in Devanahalli. Currently, HAL Airport is used exclusively for military, chartered, and VIP flights.
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