Bidar Airport, 7th Airport in Karnataka, Moves Closer to Starting Operations

BENGALURU: Nearly a decade after it was built, the terminal for civilian flights at the Bidar base of Indian Air Force (IAF) is now only a few steps from beginning operations.

It could happen as early as next month, senior officials in the state government said. The terminal, built by the government at a cost of Rs 5.5 crore in 2009, will become the seventh civilian airport in Karnataka, though it will be used only for regional connectivity.

A stalemate between the government and GHIAL, the operator of Hyderabad international airport, over contract-driven flying restrictions had held up the project. The Karnataka government on Thursday reportedly signed a memorandum of understanding with infrastructure giant GMR, which is a part of GHIAL, and the air force to clear the decks for the Bidar terminal. The signing took place in Delhi.

“The tripartite agreement will finalise our deal with the two sides and clear any obstacles and concerns raised by GMR,” said a senior government official.
While developing Hyderabad airport, GMR had finalised a condition with the Centre that there would be no competing civilian flight operations within 150km of that facility. The clause was mentioned in a concession agreement between the two.

The Bidar terminal falls in the 150-km range. When the state moved to operationalise it in 2012, GMR cited the clause and refused to give a no-objection certificate, even though other parties concerned, including the defence ministry, granted clearances. The issue dragged on as GMR refused to soften its stance. During the previous Congress regime, the then Infrastructure Development Department minister R Roshan Baig decided to hand over the Bidar terminal’s operations to GMR. Even that didn’t work. The deadlock finally ended on Thursday, after multiple meetings with GMR and the defence ministry’s intervention.

According to an understanding with the company, Karnataka will use Bidar airport only for the purpose of regional connectivity and it won’t operate flights on routes preferred by Hyderabad airport. Chief minister BS Yediyurappa is expected to make an announcement on the development soon. He was serving his second stint as the CM in 2009 when the terminal was built. He is now in his fourth term.

Source: Tnn

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