Bengaluru, 10 July

Minister MB Patil on Wednesday insisted upon the need for a second International Airport near Bengaluru. Patil said this will reportedly handle at least 100 million passengers annually, and it would require at least 4,500 acres to 5,000 acres of land to cater to the fastest growing City.

“We will have a meeting with technical experts before moving the proposal to Chief Minister and the Cabinet on it. In the next three months you will see things moving in that direction,” Patil told reporters here.

Stating that Bengaluru being the technology and innovation hub has Kempegowda International Airport which is the third busiest airport after Delhi and Mumbai, he said it currently handles 52 million passengers and 0.71 million tonnes of cargo annually. It would peak to 110 million passengers and 1.10 million tonnes cargo by 2035, he said.

When he was told about the Tamil Nadu government’s announcement to build an international airport in Hosur, Patil said only after State announced this project did the neighbouring state start talking about building a new airport in Hosur. He, however, clarified that Karnataka has no problem with that.

On the possible location of the second airport, the minister pointed out that there should be no hills, rivers/seas or high-rise buildings anywhere around it.

In addition, there should be a good quality state and national highway as well as rail and metro connectivity. -PTI