The Tamil Nadu government plans to build a greenfield international airport in the industrial town of Hosur, bordering Bengaluru, on nearly 2,000 acres. It is already planning to build a greenfield airport at Parandur in Kanchipuram district at a cost of ₹20,000 crore, for which land acquisition is going on in full swing.

The Hosur airport will have the capacity to annually handle around 3 crore passengers, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced in the Assembly on Thursday. The Parandur airport will have a capacity to annually handle 10 crore passengers.

Hosur has been attracting investments in the field of electronics and electric vehicles in the last few years. The State government is implementing a long-term plan to develop the fast-growing town of Hosur as an important economic growth centre of Tamil Nadu by providing modern infrastructure there. A new Master Plan for Hosur has been prepared and is nearing completion. An airport at Hosur is necessary for the overall socioeconomic development of not only Hosur but also Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri, Stalin said.

Stalin’s announcement comes a week after the Karnataka government began exploring the possibility of building a second airport.

There is, however, a stumbling block for the Tamil Nadu government’s Hosur airport project. The current policy of the Centre does not allow new airports within a 150 -km radius of an existing airport. Hosur is just 74 km from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport.

The present Hosur airport is owned by Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Ltd. In the first round of bidding under Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN), a bid was received for the operation of a flight between Chennai and Hosur. However, citing that the region is within 150 km of Kempegowda airport, the Hosur airport was deleted from the Regional Connectivity Scheme route.

What the agreement says

The Concession Agreement signed between the Centre and Bangalore International Airport Ltd does not permit the development, improvement, and upgradation of a new or existing airport (except for Mysore and Hassan airports) within an aerial distance of 150 km of KIA before 2033. This was clarified in March 2023 by then Minister of State for Civil Aviation VK Singh, in reply to a query raised by Tamil Nadu Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament P Wilson on establishing the new Hosur airport.

However, Tamil Nadu had already started work in December 2021 on developing the Hosur airport by issuing a tender calling for consultants to prepare a report for the project. However, this was scrapped the next year.

If the Centre refuses permission for the new airport at Hosur, it could lead to a confrontation between Tamil Nadu and the Centre, as Hosur is a major revenue-earning region for the State, and in the future, an airport could help its development.

Hosur is also home to major manufacturing industries including Ashok Leyland, Titan, TVS Motors, Caterpillar, Sundaram Fasteners, and Schaeffler. Ola has set up a huge e-vehicle factory in the Krishnagiri district. Tata Electronics is investing ₹5,763 crore (creating 18,250 jobs) in the Krishnagiri district to manufacture mobile phone components.

A full-fledged airport will help in the movement of people to and from the district, otherwise they would have to travel to Bengaluru or Chennai, said sources.

The Hosur airport 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 weather, the new airport will foster a twin-city ecosystem with Bengaluru, propelling growth in both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, said TRB Rajaa, Tamil Nadu Minister for Industries, thanking the Chief Minister on the announcement.

Hosur may work out but people would prefer Bangalore as they have already established themselves. However, the 150-km clause will be applicable. The Hosur airport will not be viable, as no airline would like to operate to an airfield with poor infrastructure as far as road and rail connectivity is concerned, said aviation safety consultant Mohan Ranganathan. “We are just throwing good money with bad planning and zero accountability of the government in power,” he added.

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