Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil announced on Wednesday that a new airport will be constructed in Bengaluru to accommodate growing passenger and cargo demands. The proposed airport will span 4,500-5,000 acres and is expected to serve 100 million passengers annually. This development comes as a response to the expected saturation of the current Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) by 2035.
Currently, KIA handles 52 million passengers per year. However, due to an exclusivity clause in the agreement with Bengaluru International Airport Limited, which operates KIA, the new airport cannot be initiated until 2033. The state government has identified several potential locations for the new airport, but final decisions will be made after consultations with experts from the Airports Authority of India.
The location for the new airport will be confirmed after a meeting with the state Cabinet. The announcement of this new project follows a press conference where Patil also highlighted significant investment commitments from Japanese and South Korean firms in Karnataka. Companies such as Osaka Gas and DN Solutions are set to invest approximately Rs 6,450 crore, creating 1,000 jobs in the state.
In addition to the investments, the Karnataka delegation identified promising opportunities worth three billion dollars in sectors like automotive, electronics, and energy.
Source: The Indian Express