CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s push for a greenfield airport at Hosur has encountered yet another roadblock, with the Centre once again declining to recommend the proposed greenfield airport at Hosur, citing airspace reserved for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the need to prioritise defence operations. The development comes as Andhra Pradesh moves ahead with preliminary studies for a new airport at Kuppam town near the tri-State border.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu recently said the Hosur proposal forwarded by the Tamil Nadu government has not been recommended "in order to prioritise defence projects of national importance, being carried out by HAL Airport and to enable operational preparedness of defence forces." He was replying to queries raised by DMK MPs S Kalyanasundaram and Kanimozhi NVN Somu.
The proposed Hosur airport, with an estimated 30 million passenger capacity, is planned across 2,979 acres in the Berigai–Bagalur–Shoolagiri region of Krishnagiri district about 20 km from the Karnataka border.
Tamil Nadu has maintained that Hosur, home to over 500 large industries and around 3,000 MSMEs, needs dedicated air connectivity to sustain rapid growth, particularly with rising investments in electronics and electric vehicles expected to drive expansion over the next five years.
However, the Union Ministry of Defence has repeatedly declined airspace clearance, stating that the region falls within the operational airspace of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which conducts military operations and aircraft test flights. Tamil Nadu had first sought the Defence Ministry’s clearance in June last year.
In an official communication in January, the Ministry had reiterated that the airspace is primarily reserved for strategic defence requirements, making civilian passenger operations unfeasible.
Following this, Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) managing director Sandeep Nanduri told DT Next this month that the State would be submitting a revised Detailed Project Report addressing the airspace objections. "Our position is that airspace clearance for Hosur can be granted without disrupting HAL’s operations, subject to coordination. The final decision rests with the Centre,” he said.
Tamil Nadu Industries Minister T R B Rajaa, too, in a post on X, recently said the State had submitted detailed technical representations to show that the proposed airport would not significantly affect HAL or Indian Air Force operations. He added that several civilian airports function within controlled airspace through coordinated civil-defence protocols.
The second major challenge for the proposed Hosur airport plan is the concessionaire agreement with the Civil Aviation Ministry and Bangalore International Airport (BIAL), which bars new international airports within 150 km of Bengaluru until 2033. The proposed Hosur airport site falls within this radius.
It was recently reported that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has carried out pre-feasibility studies for proposed airport sites at Kuppam, Srikakulam and Ongole at the request of the Andhra Pradesh government.
Kuppam, a town in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, lies about 90–100 km from Bengaluru near the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. At present, residents depend on Bengaluru’s airport for air travel. The town, a key Assembly constituency, is being positioned as a development and tourism hub by the State government.
If cleared, the proposed airport could cater to passengers from southern Andhra Pradesh and adjoining border regions, cutting travel time and supporting local economic growth.
Unlike Hosur, Kuppam does not face comparable defence airspace constraints, potentially giving it an edge in securing approvals.
(With inputs from Bureau)