MLAs from Old Mysuru region say airport in South Bengaluru will spur growth of Mysuru too

Mysuru: MLAs from the Old Mysuru region, including Mandya and Ramanagara, have urged the State Government to build a second international airport in the southern part of Bengaluru, widely known as the Silicon City of Karnataka.

The legislators submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, pressing them to recommend the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to consider this proposal.

In their representation, the MLAs argued that the existing Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli is overcrowded due to high passenger traffic and a dense   flight schedule. 

With half of the passengers originating from southern Bengaluru — covering areas like Electronics City, Bommanahalli, Bannerghatta Road, Jayanagar, J.P. Nagar, Mysuru Road and Magadi Road — the southern region is ideal for a new airport, which would also stimulate commercial growth.

They emphasised that the southern part of Bengaluru is best suited for the new airport, requiring a levelled stretch of land around 3.5 km for the runway.

Additionally, the Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway has boosted economic activities around Ramanagara, Channapatna and Maddur. With Mysuru emerging as Karnataka’s second IT hub and remaining a top tourist destination, the combined growth of Bengaluru and Mysuru could mirror the commercial development seen between Mumbai and Pune, they argued. 

The southern region of Bengaluru also benefits from an industrial corridor and reliable water supply, further strengthening its case for the second airport, they said.

Signatories of the memorandum include MLAs H.A. Iqbal Hussain (Ramanagara), H.C. Balakrishna (Maddur), P.M. Narendra Swamy (Malavalli), A.B. Ramesh Babu Bandisiddegowda (Srirangapatna), K.M. Uday (Maddur), P. Ravikumar (Mandya), along with MLCs S. Ravi, Dinesh Gooligowda, Puttanna, and defeated Congress candidate for Mandya Lok Sabha, Venkataramane Gowda (Star Chandru), among others.