Karnataka identifies potential site for proposed Ballari airport: MB Patil

Bengaluru: Karnataka has identified a potential site for a proposed airport in Ballari. If found feasible, further steps will be taken after consultations with local public representatives, led by the chief minister, Industries minister MB Patil said on Friday.

The minister was responding to a question raised by Gangavathi MLA G Janardhana Reddy (BJP) in the legislative assembly.

“A site located about 19 km from Ballari has been earmarked. If the location is found suitable, the next steps will be taken after discussions with public representatives from Ballari, Vijayanagara and Koppal districts,” Patil said in a statement.


“The proposed Ballari airport should benefit not only Ballari district but also the people of Koppal and Vijayanagara,” he added.

The announcement comes after Patil earlier this week unveiled plans to build an airport in the Kalyana Karnataka region to support the northern part of the state.

The newly identified site is located about 33 km from Hosapete, 26 km from Hampi, 33 km from Sandur, 75 km from Koppal, 14 km from Kurugodu, 13 km from Toranagallu, and 43 km from Siruguppa. However, its suitability for an airport will need to be determined by the Airports Authority of India, Patil said.

Airports, the minister added, must be planned with foresight to avoid mistakes seen in Hubballi, Belagavi and Vijayapura. “The distance between Belagavi and Hubballi airports is only about 70 km. A strategically located airport between the two could have been declared international based on passenger traffic,” he said, citing the advantage Belagavi airport gained from the Indian Air Force presence.

A similar issue has been seen in Vijayapura, where the airport now ready for inauguration is located on Kalaburagi Road. Patil said an alternate location towards the state's northern regions like Almatti would have benefited Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and Bagalkote.

Keeping these lessons in mind, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has identified two new sites in Ballari district measuring around 800 acres and 1,200 acres for the proposed airport.

District and divisional airports across the country are facing similar challenges. Bidar and Kalaburagi airports are also underutilised. Bidar airport operates with support from the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB). There has also been a demand to resume operations at Kalaburagi airport, and steps are being taken in that direction.

Patil has proposed that the central government's UDAN scheme be extended from three to five years, with the centre and the state jointly supporting operations on a 50:50 basis for the subsequent five years.

Patil added that constructing the airport at the previously identified site would require an eight-lane greenfield highway and face multiple challenges. Land acquisition and compensation alone would cost nearly as much as the airport project, making it impractical.

“The matter will ultimately be finalised at the meeting under the chief minister’s chairmanship,” he said.