Bengaluru's second airport: AAI team inspects two sites, to visit third site on April 9

Bengaluru, April 8 (IANS) Top officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Tuesday inspected two of the three shortlisted sites for Bengaluru's proposed second airport, both located off Kanakapura Road near the city.

The expert team is scheduled to visit the third identified site off the Nelamangala-Kunigal Road on Wednesday.

Following the inspection, the officials held a discussion with Infrastructure Development Minister M.B. Patil.

During the meeting, a live presentation was given to the AAI team, highlighting the need for a second airport in Bengaluru, the growing industrial demand, and the benefits to civilian air traffic.

Minister Patil emphasised that the government is committed to ensuring maximum transparency in finalising the site for the new airport.

He said that the government intends to finalise the airport location based on the specific requirements of Bengaluru, and the final decision will be taken based on the report and recommendations from the AAI.

The AAI team included General Manager Vikram Singam, Joint General Manager K. Srinivas Rao, Assistant General Manager Manuj Bharadwaj, along with Senior Manager Sachidanand and Managers Santosh Kumar Bharathi and Amaan Chhipa from the headquarters.

Meanwhile, in an effort to enhance air connectivity to six cities including Kalaburagi, Minister Patil also held a meeting with senior officials of airline companies on Tuesday.

RDPR, IT and BT Minister and Kalaburagi District In-charge Minister Priyank Kharge was also present.

The key focus of the meeting was on improving flight connectivity to intra-state and inter-state destinations from Kalaburagi, Mysuru, Bidar, Hubballi, Belagavi, Vidyanagar (Jindal Township), and the newly developed Vijayapura Airport, which is ready for launch.

Representatives from major airlines, including IndiGo, Star Air, Air India, Akash, Alliance Airways, and SpiceJet, participated in the discussions.

Both ministers pointed out that although the Kalaburagi-Bengaluru route has the potential to be profitable, it currently operates only three times a week. They urged airline operators to increase the frequency and extend connectivity to more key destinations within the state. Responding positively, airline representatives assured that steps would be taken in this direction.

Patil also stressed the need to upgrade Hubballi and Belagavi airports to international standards, directing officials to write to the Centre regarding the proposal.

"These two airports meet the criteria for international status and witness high passenger traffic. Currently, travellers from these regions must go to Goa to catch international flights. Upgrading these airports will greatly benefit a large number of commuters," he said.

--IANS

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