File photo of a AAI team inspecting two sites off Kanakapura Road for Bengaluru Second Airport.
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) expert team which inspected three locations for Bengaluru’s second international airport in April is expected to submit its report within the next two to three days.
Infrastructure Development Minister M.B. Patil said on Thursday that once the AAI team submits the report, it will be placed before the State Cabinet.
In April the AAI team inspected three locations, of which two were on Kanakapura Road and one on the Nelamangala-Kunigal Road.
“There is a possibility that the AAI team may recommend both the sites it inspected. However, the airport construction companies would also evaluate the financial feasibility of the proposed locations. It’s not that they will build the airport wherever the government allots land,” Mr. Patil said.
He further added that the State government has initiated the process keeping in mind the clause that prohibits the establishment of another international airport within a 150 km radius of Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) until 2033.
“If we begin the groundwork now, the second international airport will be ready by then. A project of this scale typically takes a minimum of five to six years to complete,” he added.
The second airport for Bengaluru could only become operational after May 2033, owing to an agreement between the Bangalore International Airport Ltd., which is the operator of the KIA, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
As per the agreement, no airport can operate within an aerial distance of 150 km of KIA before its 25th anniversary which falls in May 2033.
The KIA is projected to handle around 80 to 90 million passenger traffic by the end of this decade and is expected to run out of capacity by early 2030’s. Hence a second airport for Bengaluru has been proposed by the government.
Mr. Patil said that in India at present, only two cities in India—New Delhi (Noida) and Mumbai (Navi Mumbai)—have two international airports and the government will also consult with the companies involved in developing those airports.
On the Tamil Nadu government’s proposed plan to construct an airport in Hosur, he said that the State government is aware of this plan.
Published – October 23, 2025 09:45 pm IST
