Hosur Airport: How Bengaluru Airport’s Growth Will Make 150-km Rule Irrelevant

Chennai

oi-Prakash KL

The
growth
of
the
Bengaluru’s
Kempe
Gowda
International
Airport
will
eventually
clear
path
for
Tamil
Nadu’s
ambitious
greenfield
project
in
Hosur.

Well,
the
Union
government’s
latest
clarification
on
the
much-debated
150-km
airport
policy
has
quietly
opened
a
major
window
of
opportunity
for
Hosur,
turning
what
once
looked
like
a
regulatory
hurdle
into
a
potential
growth
story
for
northern
Tamil
Nadu.

Union
Civil
Aviation
Minister
Ram
Mohan
Naidu
has
made
it
clear
that
the
150-km
aerial
distance
rule
was
never
meant
to
permanently
block
the
development
of
new
airports
near
existing
ones.
Instead,
it
is
a
guiding
principle
to
protect
the
operational
viability
of
an
airport
during
its
growth
phase.
Once
that
airport
reaches
or
begins
to
approach
saturation,
the
restriction
effectively
loses
its
relevance.

Speaking
after
a
validation
flight
to
Bhogapuram
airport
near
Visakhapatnam,
the
minister
underlined
that
the
Ministry
of
Civil
Aviation
is
now
actively
encouraging
states
to
plan
second
airports
in
fast-growing
urban
regions.
“When
it
comes
to
the
150
km
radius
policy,
it
is
a
policy
that
guides
the
initiation
of
airport
development.
Once
capacity
is
saturated,
the
clause
no
longer
applies.
There
is
an
opportunity
for
the
State
to
cater
to
a
second
airport,” he
said.
In
other
words,
the
rule
is
not
a
roadblock,
but
a
safeguard
–
and
once
demand
outgrows
supply,
expansion
becomes
not
just
permissible
but
necessary.

This
clarification
is
particularly
significant
for
the
proposed
Hosur
Airport
in
Tamil
Nadu,
located
close
to
Bengaluru’s
Kempegowda
International
Airport.
Bengaluru
has
emerged
as
one
of
India’s
fastest-growing
aviation
hubs,
handling
about
41
million
passengers
in
the
2024-25
financial
year
alone.
With
double-digit
growth
in
both
domestic
and
international
segments,
the
airport
is
already
moving
rapidly
towards
its
present
capacity
of
around
55
million
passengers
per
annum.

At
the
current
growth
trajectory,
Kempegowda
International
Airport
could
touch
–
and
even
exceed
–
this
capacity
in
just
about
three
years.
While
the
airport
operator
BIAL
has
announced
ambitious
plans
to
scale
up
to
100
million
passengers
per
annum,
infrastructure
expansion
of
this
magnitude
takes
time,
regulatory
approvals,
and
massive
capital
investment.
In
the
interim,
congestion
pressures
are
likely
to
rise,
making
a
complementary
airport
in
the
Bengaluru-Hosur
region
not
just
desirable,
but
strategically
sound.

This
is
where
Hosur’s
location
becomes
a
major
advantage
rather
than
a
complication.
Positioned
on
the
Tamil
Nadu-Karnataka
border
and
already
a
booming
industrial
hub
with
strong
road
and
rail
connectivity
to
Bengaluru,
Hosur
can
naturally
function
as
a
secondary
aviation
gateway.
It
can
serve
not
only
northern
Tamil
Nadu
but
also
relieve
pressure
on
Bengaluru
by
handling
part
of
the
region’s
growing
passenger
and
cargo
traffic.

Importantly,
Minister
Naidu’s
statement
suggests
that
the
150-km
rule
will
not
stand
in
the
way
once
Bengaluru’s
airport
approaches
saturation.
The
policy,
as
he
explained,
is
meant
to
ensure
“operational
stability”
of
the
first
airport,
not
to
prevent
the
development
of
a
second
when
demand
clearly
exceeds
capacity.
That
interpretation
gives
Tamil
Nadu
a
strong
policy
backing
to
push
forward
with
the
Hosur
project.

On
the
ground,
preparations
are
already
under
way.
The
Tamil
Nadu
Industrial
Development
Corporation
(TIDCO)
had,
as
early
as
December
2021,
appointed
consultants
to
identify
suitable
sites
for
an
airport
in
Hosur
capable
of
handling
around
30
million
passengers
a
year.
Two
locations
were
shortlisted
–
the
existing
airstrip
at
Belakondapalli
and
its
surrounding
areas,
and
another
cluster
covering
Muthali
and
neighbouring
villages
in
Hosur
and
Shoolagiri
taluks.
A
detailed
report
was
subsequently
submitted
to
the
Airports
Authority
of
India
(AAI),
and
land
acquisition
has
already
begun.
As
of
now,
about
845
acres
have
been
acquired
out
of
the
planned
2,980
acres.

While
some
farmers
from
12
villages
have
raised
concerns
and
sought
clarity
from
the
state
government,
the
larger
picture
remains
strongly
in
Hosur’s
favour.
A
modern
international
airport
would
bring
jobs,
better
connectivity,
industrial
investment,
and
global
visibility
to
the
region.
For
Hosur
–
already
known
as
the
“Little
England”
of
Tamil
Nadu
due
to
its
industrial
profile
–
the
airport
could
be
the
next
big
leap,
transforming
it
into
a
major
logistics,
manufacturing,
and
aviation
hub.

With
Bengaluru’s
airport
racing
towards
capacity
and
the
Centre
signalling
flexibility
in
the
150-km
policy,
Hosur’s
airport
dream
is
no
longer
speculative.
It
is
steadily
moving
into
the
realm
of
practical,
policy-backed
reality.