BENGALURU: The site for the second airport for Bengaluru is nowhere near finalisation. The main issue for this is the absence of air space to operate flights and the government is taking steps to arrive at a solution, Karnataka Infrastructure Development Department Secretary N Manjula said on Wednesday.
“Multiple locations have been identified, but we have not finalised any. The real issue is the absence of air space as they fall under the jurisdiction of the existing airports in the city,” Manjula told TNIE.
The government held talks last week with the Bangalore International Airport Limited, the operator of the Kempegowda International Airport, Hindustan Aeronautical Limited and defence authorities at the Air Force Station in Yelahanka in this connection, she said. “The existing space above Bengaluru is covered 360 degrees by these airports. Even the skies in neighbouring areas are covered by them. The location for the new airport can be finalised only after free air space is made available,” Manjula said.
She said HAL said they use the air space even up to Coimbatore for their research and other flight testing purposes. BIAL utilises the air space for 30 km beyond Devanahalli while the Indian Air Force uses air space up to Hassan. “We have asked them to write to us about the air space that they can make available to us. Some form of consensus needs to be arrived at. They will not be operating flights 24x7. So, some timing needs to be made available for the proposed airport to operate,” she said.
Manjula added that the issue can be sorted only with assistance from the Ministry of Civil Aviation or the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. “We need their support to ensure that some sort of airspace relaxation is created so that we can finalise our second airport,” the official said.
The following locations were shortlisted last month: Between Nelamangala and Kunigal, Harohalli on Kanakapura Road, Dobbaspet and areas in the vicinity of Koratagere, Tumakuru, Huliyurdurga and Malavalli.