No Immediate Plan for International Airport in Tumakuru, Minister Says

Tumakuru airport has no approved proposal yet.

The government cited the 150 kilometre airport rule.

No budget allocation is planned for Tumakuru airport.

The Karnataka government has ruled out any immediate plan to establish a second international airport for Bengaluru in Tumakuru, saying there is currently no proposal under consideration.

Industries and Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil gave the clarification in the Legislative Assembly while responding to an unstarred question raised by Tumakuru City MLA G B Jyothi Ganesh.

A key hurdle is the central governments Greenfield Airport Policy. Under the policy, a new airport is generally not permitted within an aerial distance of 150 kilometres from an existing civil airport. Any proposal falling within that distance would require a separate assessment of its potential impact on the existing airport before the central government could take a final decision.

Patil also made it clear that there is no immediate financial provision for a Tumakuru airport. Since the project is not currently under consideration by the state government, there is no question of setting aside funds for it in the upcoming budget.

The issue has attracted political attention in Karnataka. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Union Minister V Somanna and Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra have previously voiced support for establishing a second international airport for Bengaluru in Tumakuru.

For now, however, the governments position remains unchanged. Tumakuru does not have an approved airport project, and there is no confirmed funding or implementation plan on the table.

The clarification is likely to disappoint supporters of the proposal, particularly those who see Tumakuru as a strategic location for expanding aviation infrastructure around Bengaluru. Any future move would have to take existing airport capacity, the 150 kilometre policy and central government approval into account.