‘New airport to come up on 4,500-5,000 acre land, will cater to 100 million passengers’: Karnataka minister MB Patil

The current passenger load at KIA is 52 million passengers per year. However, a new airport will not be possible till 2033 due to the exclusivity clause in the agreement signed between the state government and the Bengaluru International Airport Limited which runs the KIA.

“Though the state government has identified five to six locations for the proposed project, it will involve experts from the Airports Authority of India or other agencies to verify the location. Following this, the proposal will be placed in front of the state Cabinet for its approval,” Patil said. The meeting to finalise the location of the airport will be held soon, he added.

Patil’s announcement came amid a press conference held to announce investment commitments made by Japanese and South Korean firms in Karnataka following a recent delegation to these countries by the minister.

Osaka Gas, DN Solutions, Aoyama Seisakusho, Daiki Axis, HyVISION and EMNI Co Ltd have signed MoUs to invest around Rs 6,450 crore in the state which will generate 1,000 jobs, Patil said.

Apart from this, the Karnataka delegation had also identified promising leads worth three billion dollars in automotive, electronics and energy sectors, Patil added.