Bangalore: Two greenfield airports set up under the public private partnership (PPP) model in Karnataka will be opened for commercial use by July this year. The two new airports are currently under final stages of construction at Gulbarga and Shimoga, Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar announced at the inaugural event of Aero India 2013, the five-day international air show.
Besides these two minor airports, the state government has also initiated steps to modernise and expand existing airport at Hubli. The government has recently acquired 615 acres land for the same and handed over to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), he said. As many as five new minor airports are being developed in the state to give boost to the air travel, he said.
Stating that only 97 out of close to 500 airports are currently operated by AAI, Shettar said there is a greater need for state governments to join hands with the Centre for development of new airports in the country.
07/02/13 Mahesh Kulkarni/Business Standard
