Chennai, Tamil Nadu: The Tamil Nadu government has finalised the site for the proposed Hosur airport, marking a major step in the state’s aviation expansion plans.

The location, in Shoolagiri taluk between Berigai and Bagalur, is about 15.5 kilometers east of the Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Limited (TAAL) airstrip.

A recent Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) survey found just 75 obstacles at the site, compared with nearly 350 at the earlier option near TAAL, which was deemed less viable due to hilly terrain and high-tension power lines.

Officials said the site benefits from proximity to the Bengaluru Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR), being developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The road will improve access to Bengaluru and surrounding towns, with Attibele, the Karnataka entry point from Hosur, just 19 km away.

The move comes as Karnataka also shortlists sites for a second airport to serve Bengaluru. Tamil Nadu will seek approval from the Union Civil Aviation Ministry within two weeks.

Meanwhile, the Krishnagiri District Collector has been tasked with preparing a land acquisition plan within six weeks. Nearly 2,300 acres will be needed for the project.

The state has also written to the Defence Ministry seeking controlled airspace clearance. One of the significant hurdles, however, will be obtaining a no-objection from Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL).

Under its concessionaire agreement with the Civil Aviation Ministry, no new international airport can be set up within 150 km of Bengaluru until 2033.

Nevertheless, given the scale of work involved, the Hosur airport project is expected to take around eight years to complete.

Announced by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin last year, the proposed airport is designed with an annual handling capacity of 30 million passengers, surpassing Chennai airport’s 22 million passengers in 2023.

Hosur, known as a thriving manufacturing hub, houses more than 500 large industries and 3,000 MSMEs in sectors such as automobiles and electronics.

Officials said the project, once realised, will not only decongest Chennai and Bengaluru airports but also significantly boost the industrial growth of Krishnagiri district and northern Tamil Nadu. IANS