TN government finalises site for Hosur airport, seeks approvals

Chennai, Aug 25 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu government has finalised the location for the proposed Hosur airport, marking a major step in its aviation expansion plans.

The site, situated in Shoolagiri taluk between Berigai and Bagalur, lies about 15.5 km east of the Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Limited (TAAL) airstrip.

According to sources, a recent Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) survey revealed that the chosen site had only 75 obstacles, compared to nearly 350 at the earlier location closer to TAAL.

The earlier option was considered less viable due to hilly terrain and high-tension power lines.

Strategically located, the new site is near the Bengaluru Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) being developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

This connectivity will improve access to Bengaluru and nearby towns, with Attibele - the Karnataka entry point from Hosur - just 19 km away.

Officials note that the decision comes as Karnataka is simultaneously shortlisting sites for a second airport for Bengaluru.

With the site now identified, the state government is moving towards regulatory clearances. Tamil Nadu will approach the Union Civil Aviation Ministry for approval within two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Krishnagiri District Collector has been tasked with preparing a land acquisition plan within six weeks. Nearly 2,300 acres will be needed for the project.

The state has also written to the Defence Ministry seeking controlled airspace clearance. One of the significant hurdles, however, will be obtaining a no-objection from Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL).

Under its concessionaire agreement with the Civil Aviation Ministry, no new international airport can be set up within 150 km of Bengaluru until 2033.

Nevertheless, given the scale of work involved, the Hosur airport project is expected to take around eight years to complete.

Announced by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin last year, the proposed airport is designed with an annual handling capacity of 30 million passengers, surpassing Chennai airport’s 22 million passengers in 2023.

Hosur, known as a thriving manufacturing hub, houses more than 500 large industries and 3,000 MSMEs in sectors such as automobiles and electronics.

Officials said the project, once realised, will not only decongest Chennai and Bengaluru airports but also significantly boost the industrial growth of Krishnagiri district and northern Tamil Nadu.

--IANS

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