Bengaluru's second airport to be as large as Kempegowda international airport, says minister Patil
international airport that is being planned for Bengaluru will be as large as the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) and would require about 4500-5000 acres of land, Industry & Infrastructure Minister MB Patil said on Wednesday.
The KempeGowda International Airport, operated by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has been the third busiest airport in the country after Delhi and Mumbai. The airport recorded the highest-ever passenger traffic with 37.5 million travelers in the year 2023-24 and handled 439,524 metric tonnes of cargo.
The international airport will reach its peak passenger and cargo load capacity by 2035, and the state government has to plan a second airport well ahead of time, the minister told a media conference.
In 1999, when the project was awarded to the Siemens-led consortium, the contract term stipulated that the union government cannot allow a second airport within a radius of 150 kilometers till 2033. With nine years to go for the clause to cease, it was time for the government to begin planning a second airport for the fast-expanding city, the minister said.
Considering that land acquisition and compensation for landowners take a significant amount of time, Patil has stressed the need to begin work on the second airport immediately.
On the Tamil Nadu government's decision to build an airport at Hosur, he said it would not come in the way of Karnataka pursuing its plans.
An expert committee would consider a host of factors before suggesting a location to the government.
