Overview
- Infrastructure Minister M. B. Patil said Karnataka is drafting a state civil aviation policy that will define the state's role and terms for airlines.
- The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board has identified two alternative Ballari sites measuring roughly 800 acres and 1,200 acres for a proposed airport.
- A meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will bring representatives from Ballari, Vijayanagara and Koppal together to decide the preferred location.
- The Airports Authority of India will evaluate technical suitability, while the earlier site is seen as impractical due to a required eight‑lane highway and land costs near the scale of the airport budget.
- Patil has asked the Union Civil Aviation Minister to extend UDAN support to five years followed by five years of 50:50 Centre–state operating subsidy to bolster regional airport viability.