Bengaluru— Senior officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Tuesday conducted inspections at two of the three shortlisted locations for Bengaluru’s proposed second airport. Both sites are situated off Kanakapura Road, near the city.
The AAI team is scheduled to visit the third site, located off the Nelamangala-Kunigal Road, on Wednesday.
Following the site visits, the officials met with Infrastructure Development Minister M.B. Patil to discuss the project. During the meeting, the AAI team was given a live presentation outlining the necessity of a second airport for Bengaluru, emphasizing the region’s rapid industrial growth and increasing demand for civilian air traffic capacity.
Minister Patil reiterated the state government’s commitment to transparency in the site selection process. He emphasized that the final decision will be made based on Bengaluru’s specific needs and will rely on the AAI’s report and recommendations.
The AAI delegation included General Manager Vikram Singam, Joint General Manager K. Srinivas Rao, Assistant General Manager Manuj Bharadwaj, Senior Manager Sachidanand, and Managers Santosh Kumar Bharathi and Amaan Chhipa from the AAI headquarters.
In a parallel effort to improve regional air connectivity, Minister Patil also held a meeting on Tuesday with senior airline executives to explore enhanced flight services to six cities, including Kalaburagi. He was joined by Priyank Kharge, Minister for RDPR, IT & BT, and Kalaburagi District In-charge Minister.
The meeting focused on expanding intra-state and inter-state flight connectivity from Kalaburagi, Mysuru, Bidar, Hubballi, Belagavi, Vidyanagar (Jindal Township), and the newly developed Vijayapura Airport, which is ready for operational launch.
Airline representatives from IndiGo, Star Air, Air India, Akash, Alliance Air, and SpiceJet participated in the discussions.
Both ministers highlighted that the Kalaburagi-Bengaluru route has strong potential for profitability, yet currently operates only three times a week. They urged airline operators to increase flight frequency and expand routes to more key destinations within Karnataka. In response, airline representatives expressed willingness to take the necessary steps to enhance service.
Minister Patil also emphasized the urgent need to upgrade the Hubballi and Belagavi airports to international standards. He directed officials to formally request support from the central government for this initiative.
“These two airports meet the criteria for international status and handle significant passenger traffic,” Patil said. “Currently, travelers from these areas must travel to Goa for international flights. Upgrading these airports will offer considerable convenience to a large number of commuters.” (Source: IANS)
