The Centre stated that it has not yet received a formal proposal from the Karnataka government regarding the planned second international airport for Bengaluru. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has completed a pre-feasibility study for three potential locations.
In a written response, Civil Aviation Minister Murlidhar Mohol remarked, “The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has conducted a pre-feasibility study for three proposed sites – Kanakapura Road, Kunigal Road, and a location in Bengaluru North, and has submitted the report to the Karnataka government.”
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has completed pre-feasibility studies for three sites for Bengaluru’s second airport and submitted the report to the Government of Karnataka. The Union Government has not received any proposal thereafter from the State Government. pic.twitter.com/QmSyOmaxrl
— P C Mohan (@PCMohanMP) July 27, 2026
Mohol indicated that the next step involves the Karnataka government or an airport developer submitting a formal proposal to the Centre under the Greenfield Airports Policy. Up to now, no such proposal has been received.
Earlier this year, Karnataka Industries Minister MB Patil mentioned that the state government had requested firms to compile a detailed feasibility and strategy report following the AAI’s site inspections.
The government has also stated that no timeline has been established for completing the feasibility study or for granting approval.
Another factor slowing down the project is that Bengaluru’s current Kempegowda International Airport still has adequate capacity to expand. The airport presently accommodates up to 51.5 million passengers annually, while the average daily footfall in FY 2026-27 is approximately 123,800.
The Centre noted that Terminal 2 is projected to increase the airport’s capacity to 80 million passengers annually by 2030. Phase 2 of the expansion will raise capacity further from 25 million to 45 million passengers. The Centre also indicated that expansions at airports typically occur only when passenger traffic reaches a certain threshold. Given that Kempegowda Airport is still expanding, the government may not perceive an urgent need to expedite the second airport project.
