Second Greenfield Airport For Bengaluru: Harohalli, Dabaspet, Tumakuru, Koratagere, Kunigal, Huliyurdurga, Malavalli Are Shortlisted Sites

Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil on Monday (5 August) said that the consulting firms IDeCK [Infrastructure Development Corporation (Karnataka) Limited] and BCG (Boston Consulting Group) have identified seven locations for the proposed greenfield airport in Bengaluru.

If the plan is operationalised, the new airport will serve as the second aviation hub for India’s economic powerhouse.

IDeCK is a joint venture between the Government of Karnataka (GoK), IDFC Foundation, and Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC), which provides consulting expertise to the state for the conceptualisation and execution of infrastructure projects.

Patil addressed the media after attending a presentation on the proposed airport project in which BCG shared its experience with building the airport in Navi Mumbai. Patil said that the firms identified nine potential sites, but two were later removed from the list after conducting a feasibility study.

“We will apply for AAI, detailing all seven identified locations. AAI officials will then visit the sites to assess feasibility. The final decision will be based on factors such as passenger density, connectivity, industrial growth, cargo potential, and environmental considerations like the presence of rivers, hills, and biodiversity,” Patil said in a written statement.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru City Development portfolio, stated that Patil had conducted a series of discussions with various stakeholders regarding the construction of the second airport for Bengaluru. The government aimed to complete the second airport by 2033, he added.

The identified sites for the airport include Harohalli in Kanakapura Taluk of Ramanagara District (now Bengaluru South) and Dabaspet in Nelamangala Taluk of Bangalore Rural District. Other shortlisted sites are in proximity to Tumakuru, Koratagere, Kunigal, Huliyurdurga and Malavalli.

The site in Harohalli is located in the political bastion of Shivakumar. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government had proposed establishing an Industrial Area Development in Harohalli to support medium and small-scale projects to get easy access to a ready-to-use base with supportive infrastructure facilities in the industrial areas.

In January 2023, Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board unveiled plans to build a multi-product industrial park encompassing about 904.86 hectares as part of the combined development of phases II and III of Harohalli Industrial Park.

Patil indicated that around 4,500-5,000 acres of land would be required for the proposed second airport for Bengaluru, and it would be designed to cater to 100 million passengers annually.

Patil said the state government will submit an application to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) detailing all seven identified locations.

According to the state government, a second airport is required for Bengaluru as Kempegowda International Airport at Devanahalli is set to reach saturation in handling passenger and cargo loads by 2035. The proposed airport is envisaged to be as big as the existing one at Devanahalli.