Meeting to determine location for Bengaluru's second airport soon: Minister

A meeting will be convened soon to decide the location for the proposed second airport for the city, Karnataka Minister for Infrastructure M B Patil said on Sunday.

Before making a final decision, the government would consider two main aspects: passenger load and connectivity to the existing Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), he said.

"If we prioritise passenger load, areas such as Sarjapura and Kanakapura Road are strong contenders. On the other hand, if connectivity to the existing airport becomes a priority, places like Tumkur and Dabaspete will be in the lead," Patil said.

"These considerations will be discussed in the next departmental meeting and further reviewed with the chief minister. The matter will also be taken up in the cabinet meeting," he told reporters.

The exclusivity clause with the KIA's operator -- Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) -- which restricts the establishment of another airport within a 150-kilometer radius, ends in 2032, allowing the potential development of a new airport by 2033.

Considering the time required for land acquisition and compensation for landowners, the government has initiated the planning process, the minister said.Highlighting that major cities like New York and London have multiple airports in close proximity, he said, "In Mumbai, the distance between the two airports is 36 kilometers."

Regarding the Tamil Nadu government's decision to build an airport in Hosur, Patil mentioned that it needs to be examined whether the exclusivity clause with BIAL applies to this situation.

Noting that KIA is the third busiest airport in the country, following Delhi and Mumbai, the minister's office had recently said, last year the airport handled 37.5 million passengers and over 4,00,000 tonne of cargo.

The current airport is projected to reach its peak passenger handling capacity by 2033 and its maximum cargo handling capacity by 2040, it has said.