Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw bats for HAL airport reopening, Bengalureans say ‘not a good idea’

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw suggestion was met with a flurry of responses, with many users pushing back against the idea.

A call by Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw to reopen Bengaluru’s HAL Airport for civilian flights has reignited a long-standing debate about the city’s strained infrastructure and aviation needs.

Shaw’s proposal comes amid mounting traffic woes and increasing demand at Kempegowda International Airport.

Shaw’s proposal comes amid mounting traffic woes and increasing demand at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), located over 35 km from the city centre.

“Given the huge traffic influx in Bengaluru and the growing demand to shift some traffic out of the faraway Kempegowda Airport, reopening HAL Airport for civilians makes sense,” she posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Check out her post here:

Her suggestion was met with a flurry of responses, with many users pushing back against the idea.

One user asked, “Do you think HAL Road can sustain it?”

Shaw responded, “I guess it will involve road design improvement too.”

The HAL Airport, located in the heart of the city near Indiranagar, was Bengaluru’s main airport until May 2008. It was shut down for commercial operations after the opening of the Kempegowda International Airport at Devanahalli, following an agreement with the Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) consortium that granted exclusivity to the new facility.

How did X users react?

Supporters of Shaw’s proposal argue that HAL Airport could handle at least 20–30 per cent of the current KIA traffic, and with some upgrades, it could be scaled up to meet rising demand. Some even forecast the need for three airports to cater to Bengaluru’s growing population and air travel requirements by 2040.

However, some voiced concerns about the city’s already overburdened roads.

“Old Airport Road and Indiranagar cannot accommodate an increase in vehicular traffic,” one user pointed out. “HAL airport is small, has no room for expansion, and limited parking.”

Another user added: “So you’ll create massive traffic jams on Old Airport Road just for your business convenience?”

Others suggested limited use, like air shuttle services to KIA, but even that was dismissed by residents wary of worsening congestion. “It’s senseless. It will make the traffic worse with no buffer space left at bottleneck junctions. Please don’t make suggestions without understanding ground realities,” a commuter wrote.