Is it finally time to see some action on reopening the HAL Airport, an air traffic hub right in the heart of the city, before the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) took all civilian flights away in 2008? After years of widespread public demand, the big stakeholders could be nearing a decision. However, despite the overwhelming evidence of public convenience, challenges remain.
All the key stakeholders met in Delhi on April 15 and discussed the issue threadbare. A flashy new second airport for the city could take at least a decade to be operationalised. But if the stakeholders decide, the existing HAL airport could be up and ready for flights in weeks. The big question: Will the State and Centre, Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) and HAL reach a consensus to act?
Who will run the airport?
The Delhi meeting last month had the stakeholders deliberate on the question of the modalities related to who will run the HAL airport if it is reopened, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya told The Hindu. “The question is about whether AAI or BIAL will do it. AAI is keen that they will themselves do the operations while BIAL says there is a no-compete clause, and therefore they will have to be given the opportunity to run the operations. So the modalities are being worked out how this can be done,” he explained.
Since the first meeting was not conclusive, the Civil Aviation Secretary has asked the stakeholders to meet again. Tejasvi elaborated: “I am told that the (next) meeting will discuss threadbare the details and modalities and bring a few workable propositions to the table. I am meeting with the Civil Aviation Minister again sometime this month, maybe next time I go to Delhi for the next PAC meeting. I will raise this matter again and let’s see where this is going to go.”
Today, it takes almost two hours to even reach the gates of the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), more than 40kms away from the city centre. The chaotic Hebbal interchange is in a mess, severely slowing down airport approach by road. The much-hyped Airport Metro connectivity is at least 2.5 years away, and the suburban railway corridor is nowhere in the picture.
A deserted look at HAL Airport in 2008
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO
Upgrade plan
Anticipating a decision, the AAI is reportedly ready with a master plan to equip the HAL airport with the necessary upgrades for commercial flights. Although its single 3,306m-runway has no scope for extension, the airport upgrade agenda integrates a multi-level car parking for 500 vehicles and enhanced terminal capacity. By May 2008, when it was closed for commercial flights, the airport had reached a passenger capacity of 10 million per year.
The big question is: Will the BIAL allow an amendment to the concession agreement that disallows any commercial airport within an aerial distance of 150km from KIA? The agreement signed with the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, and the State Government as a signatory, is effective till May 2033.
In October 2020, the State Cabinet had agreed to extend the concession agreement by 30 years. Significantly, it had a clause that BIAL would be allowed to operate the HAL airport for civilian use by exempting the latter from the 150km agreement condition. However, in 2024 April, a formal government notification on the extension did not mention HAL airport or the related clause.
For HAL, the airport had to be operational 24/7 for its fighter jet test flights, chartered VVIP and military personnel flights in all these 17 years. But to generate revenue, it wanted to reopen for civilian flights and was in touch with BIAL and the government for years.
‘Can decongest KIA’
“The opening of HAL airport should be welcomed in the interest of the traveling public. The infrastructure is already there and can be readied with some uplift once the decision to allow commercial flights are taken,” says Gopal Sutar, who recently retired as HAL spokesperson. According to him, reopening makes sense since the current airport is getting extremely busy and in recent times flights have been diverted to Chennai due to traffic congestion.
However, a full-fledged reopening is unlikely since HAL is under pressure to accelerate its military aircraft manufacture and testing. As aviation analyst Sanjeev Dyamannavar points out, “They could operate 10-12 civilian flights in the early morning and late evening. Not more than that. Even late-night flights to Delhi or Mumbai can take off and land here, apart from the regional ones to Huballi and other destinations. KIA will not have slots during peak hours, particularly after 7 p.m.,” he says. However, Gopal says this will not be an issue and cites the case of Goa’s Dabolim airport operated by AAI as a civil enclave in an Indian Navy airbase.
Accessibility issues
Unlike KIA, HAL Airport does not face major accessibility issues. But the mounting traffic on Old Airport Road remains a challenge with no plans for a Metro line on that route. However, there are options to explore road connectivity from the Inner Ring Road side and through Yemalur from the Outer Ring Road side.
These would be critical if the objective is to offer flyers from Whitefield, Mahadevapura, HAL, Indiranagar and other East Bengaluru localities an alternative to KIA for short-haul flights. Urbanist V. Ravichandar puts this in perspective when he says: “Opening HAL airport makes sense if we wish to sweat our existing assets optimally. It could be used for short haul flights under an hour.”
He feels there will be challenges in investing in new infrastructure, and it would be dependent on BIAL willing to go along with the plan since they have airport rights till 2033. Tejasvi Surya had indicated in February that both BIAL and HAL were keen to get the airport reopened. So was the Civil Aviation Minister. He was convinced that the old airport would augment BIAL’s capacity, while creating a revenue stream for HAL.
Currently, the HAL airport runway is equipped with a Category I Instrument Landing System (ILS), and is capable of handling aircraft as large as the Boeing 747. Thirty parking spots and two helipads are part of the airfield. The airport caters to an estimated 12 aircraft in a day, mainly small airplanes of VIPs, private entities and the fighter test flights.
Published – May 15, 2025 09:00 am IST
