BENGALURU: Within a week of the
Karnataka govt
announcing that a feasibility study would be conducted for building a second commercial airport in Bengaluru, the
Tamil Nadu govt
on Thursday announced that a greenfield international airport will be built in
Hosur
– TN’s manufacturing hub bordering Karnataka.
The announcement has stoked speculation of a rat race between the two neighbouring states.
Besides talk of which of the two states will get its airport to take-off first, there is also this question of how a new airport in Hosur will impact Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).
A senior official in Karnataka’s infrastructure development department said it is “still too early to speculate” whether the proposed airport would benefit areas bordering Hosur and impact the operations of KIA.
‘Many factors influence ideal airport space’
However, while preparing feasibility reports for a new airport for Bengaluru, proposals made by a neighbouring state will be taken into consideration by the consultant,” the official added.
“Five to six locations are being studied for a second commercial airport in Bengaluru, and the ideal location will be zeroed in on depending upon land surface, highway connectivity, Metro and other mass transit links, present and future development of the areas, and other factors,” he added.
Given its location, KIA is the preferred option for air travel not only for people in Bengaluru, but also for those residing in the border districts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
BIAL mum
When contacted, a spokesperson for BIAL, which operates KIA, refused to comment on TN’s proposal to build an airport in Hosur.
However, a source at BIAL said Terminal 1 and phase I of Terminal II have a combined capacity to handle 55 million passengers. In the last financial year, the airport had handled 37.5 million passengers. “Phase II expansion of T2 will raise its capacity to handle an additional 25 million passengers,” the source added.
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