Chennai: Hosur, the flourishing industrial town, located just outside Bengaluru and home to big names like TVS and Tata, will get an airport of its own spread over an area of 2,000 acres, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announced on Thursday.
Making a statement in the Assembly under Rule 110, Stalin said the new airport will be built to handle about three crore passengers a year and will help industrial growth not just in Hosur but in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts.
“I am happy to announce that an international airport will be built in Hosur,” Stalin said. The announcement fulfils a long-standing demand from industrialists in Hosur who have been batting for an exclusive airport for the town as it currently takes over two hours to reach the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru which is 85 km away.
Sources in the know told DH that the government will keep in mind the concessionaire agreement signed between BIAL and the government that no airport should be constructed within 150 km of the Kempegowda International Airport till 2033.
“All options, including working with BIAL, are open. We will have to get started first. Once we identify the land, the permissions from various agencies itself will take more than a year,” the source said.
The new airport in Hosur is also likely to cater to people living in many areas of south Bengaluru due to their proximity to the Tamil Nadu town. The Tamil Nadu government’s move also comes close on the heels of Karnataka mulling a second airport for Bengaluru near Tumakuru.
Sources said the Tamil Nadu government will start looking for land parcels in and around Hosur to house the airport which is being planned with a single runway for now.
The proposed airport could come up in a completely new location or could be housed inside the private airport owned by Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Ltd if enough land is available near the premises. “No decision on the location has been taken. We will look at three locations in and around Hosur and decide on the right place,” a source added.
Another source said the government, after identifying the land, will commission a feasibility study for establishing an airport in Hosur, and the potential passenger and freight traffic among others.
Hari Marar, chief executive officer of the Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), which operates Kempegowda International Airport, said he was not aware of Stalin’s statement as he is currently out of the country.
“I do not know on what basis the announcement is made,” he said. To a question on the time needed for constructing a commercial airport, Marar said it would take at least six years.
B Senthil Nathan, member of the Hosur Industries Association (HIA) told DH that the government should go for a greenfield airport and allow BIAL to operate it to avoid issues of concessionaire agreement. “The airport should also have room for further expansion. Besides passenger traffic, the potential for freight traffic should also be taken into account,” he added.
Industries Minister T R B Rajaa said an airport in Hosur will be a monumental step forward for the region and the project will greatly enhance connectivity and stimulate economic growth, benefiting not only Hosur but also neighbouring districts such as Dharmapuri and Salem, while also providing a significant boost to various parts of Bengaluru.
“With Hosur’s excellent climate, the new airport will foster a twin-city ecosystem with Bengaluru, propelling growth in both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka,” Rajaa said.