Once the Hosur airport receives the clearance, TIDCO will seek in-principle approval from the Civil Aviation Ministry. | Photo credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ
In a significant setback, the defense ministry has again rejected the Tamil Nadu government’s request to set up an airport in Hosur.
One of the most important clearances Hosur Airport needs has to come from the Ministry of Defense as the airspace in the region is controlled by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). “The ministry said in a letter last week that HAL needed airspace and rejected the request. Now the state government will start evaluating its options on how to proceed and what needs to be done,” the source said.
In June last year, the Tamil Nadu government had requested the ministry to release the airspace required for setting up the airport, but their request was rejected. Subsequently, in November, the Chief Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu submitted a detailed reply with coordinates stating how the Hosur airport could be built without hampering HAL’s operations.
“It is disappointing that the request was rejected even without discussion. If there was a meeting between the Tamil Nadu government and the defense ministry, the government could have had a chance to explain,” another source said.
Meanwhile, after the government sent the permission for the airport to the civil aviation ministry, the airport has asked for an impact study. “An impact study has been asked to show whether the proposed Hosur airport will in any way affect (passenger traffic) at the existing Bengaluru or Salem airports. It has to be done by the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) and submitted to the civil aviation ministry,” the source said.
The 30 million passenger capacity Hosur International Airport in Shoolagiri taluk (between Berigai and Bagalur) is expected to be spread over nearly 2,300 acres. Once the Hosur airport receives the clearance, TIDCO will seek in-principle approval from the Civil Aviation Ministry.
It should be noted that there is another major challenge for Hosur Airport due to the existing agreement between Bangalore International Airport Limited and the Ministry of Civil Aviation which prohibits the construction of a new airport within 150 km air distance of Bengaluru Airport.
Published – 17 Jan 2026 20:08 IST