Mysuru airport expansion gets a financial boost

Chief Minister has ordered Finance Department to release ₹50 crore as first tranche: Pratap Simha

January 08, 2021 09:12 pm | Updated July 11, 2021 06:19 pm IST - Mysuru

Land acquisition can now start for expanding Mysuru airport.

Land acquisition can now start for expanding Mysuru airport.

The expansion of Mysuru airport, which hinged on release of funds from the State government, is set to be expedited with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa ordering the Finance Department to release ₹50 crore as the first tranche.

Though this was assured in principle a few months ago, the release of funds has been officially sanctioned and certain formalities have to be completed by the Finance Department before the amount is transferred for the works to get started.

This was stated by Mysuru MP Pratap Simha on Friday who pointed out that with the release of the first tranche the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) can commence the land acquisition work for the airport expansion. Though the expansion requires 240 acres the agencies concerned can proceed to acquire 115 acres of land required for runway extension and take up related works in a staggered manner as and when the funds are released.

The airport currently has a runway length of 1740 metres and a breadth of 30 metres which is suitable for operating ATR-72 type of aircraft. The proposal is to increase the runway length to 2,750 metres and breadth to 45 metres which will be suitable for Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

As per the airport master plan 182 acres is required for runway expansion while 58 acres is needed for the expansion of the terminal building complex. Mr. Simha has also sought an additional ₹150 crore for the project from the State government and urged the Chief Minister to announce the same in the forthcoming budget.

The proposed runway extension entails creating a subway for the four-lane Mysuru-Nanjangud highway so as to obviate its diversion which would not only be prohibitive in terms of cost but would delay the project given the complexities involved in land acquisition for highway diversion.

Sources in the Airport Authority of India said as soon as the KIADB transfers the land to AAI, the runway expansion and the subway construction works will take place. A diversion of a small stretch of the existing road, till the civil works pertaining to subway and runway are completed, will have to be taken up, the sources added.

The current development also comes in the wake of constant rumours that the civilian airport in Mysuru is proposed to be handed over to the defence authorities, which, Mr. Simha, said, was a closed chapter. Mysuru airport will remain a civilian airport and there are plans afoot to increase air connectivity to different destinations which will give a boost to investment and tourism, he said. At present short haul flights connect Mysuru to Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Kochi, Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad and Belagavi.

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