The AAI team inspected the two sites off Kanakapura Road for Bengaluru’s second airport
In a significant development, top officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Tuesday inspected two of the three shortlisted sites for Bengaluru’s proposed second airport.
The sites visited were located off Kanakapura Road. Following the inspection, the officials held discussions with Infrastructure Development Minister MB Patil. This comes as the competition intensifies between Nelamangala and Kanakapura. Patil stated that the government intends to finalise the airport location based on the specific requirements of Bengaluru, and that the final decision will be made based on the report and recommendations from AAI.
Pros and cons
The proposal for a second airport comes at a time when Bengaluru’s existing Kempegowda International Airport is experiencing strong growth in passenger traffic. In FY25 so far, the airport has crossed the 41 million passenger mark. Overall passenger traffic rose by 11.6 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y), with international travel surging by 25 per cent.
businessline earlier reported that Kanakapura benefits from existing infrastructure but faces challenges in land acquisition, as large portions are agricultural land.
Nelamangala, on the other hand, has more dry land available but requires sustainable planning to preserve its ecological integrity, despite offering affordable and long-term development potential, according to industry players.
While Kanakapura offers proximity to the city and existing infrastructure, albeit at a higher cost and with potential environmental trade-offs. Nelamangala, has affordable and facing fewer immediate land disputes, will require careful planning to balance development with ecological preservatio
Published on April 8, 2025
