THIRD RUNWAY FOR KEMPEGOWDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

While Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) at Bengaluru has undertaken the construction of the second runway which is expected to be operational by September 2019, plans are afoot for the third runway. Currently, the airport has a 4,000-metre long runway with CAT-1 Instrument Landing System (ILS). Dubbed the ‘New South Parallel Runway (NSPR),’ the second runway too will be 4,000 metres long, but with an enhanced CAT-III ILS. This will minimise fog-related flight disruptions which has become a somewhat frequent occurrence. Infrastructure major Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has been awarded a ` 1,358-crore contract by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to build the second runway at KIA. Apart from the construction of a New South Parallel Runway ie the second runway, the contract includes building apron and associated works.

Now a third runway dubbed as the New North Parallel Runway (NNPR), 1,500 metres North of the existing runway, is on the agenda of the KIA in anticipation of

annual air passenger traffic to growth to 65 million in the future. The state government had been urged to acquire a strip of land required just for the operation of the third runway. This was to be connected via a cross field taxiway system to the main terminal facilities. There are two villages at the proposed location, with large habitation, water bodies and forest land. The proposed area for the third runway falls way outside the airport’s boundary. This may create serious impediments for the project.