The fate of the existing HAL airport in Bangalore has been more or less sealed, with the operators of the soon-to-start Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) saying any proposal to keep the old airport open is not an option and would be a violation of legal and contractual issues.

“The operators of the new airport have said that it would not be possible to keep the existing airport open for commercial use since there are contractual and legal obligations involved,” said civil aviation secretary Ashok Chawla, at the end of a meeting with BIAL operators today. “The issue is alive and we will continue to examine if there are any ways to keep the old airport open.” As per the suggestion of the Karnataka High Court, the centre had in late April asked the operators of BIAL to consider permitting ‘limited use’ of the old HAL airport. Meanwhile, Chawla said that the new airport is on track to begin operations in the last week of May. “Once the new airport becomes operational, the old one will immediately be shut down until a decision is taken on the matter,” he said.

With election process currently underway in Karnataka, the government will soon approach the election commission to grant permission for opening the new airport. “The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is likely to grant the license for operation to the new Bangalore airport within the next two or three days,” Chawla added.