Legislators from the Old Mysuru region, including Mandya and Ramanagara, have urged the Karnataka government to establish a second international airport in South Bengaluru. In a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, the MLAs requested the state to recommend the proposal to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. The MLAs argued that the existing Kempegowda International Airport in Devanahalli is struggling to manage high passenger traffic and an increasingly packed flight schedule. They emphasized that half of the airport’s users originate from the southern parts of Bengaluru, covering key areas such as Electronics City, Bommanahalli, Bannerghatta Road, Jayanagar, J.P. Nagar, Mysuru Road, and Magadi Road. They believe the southern region is ideal for a new airport, which could alleviate congestion and drive economic growth. The memorandum further highlighted the need for approximately 3.5 km of level land to develop the airport's runway. The MLAs pointed out that the newly upgraded Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway has already spurred economic activity along Ramanagara, Channapatna, and Maddur. With Mysuru emerging as Karnataka’s second IT hub and maintaining its status as a prime tourist destination, they argued that the combined growth of Bengaluru and Mysuru could replicate the commercial development seen between Mumbai and Pune. The southern part of Bengaluru also benefits from a growing industrial corridor and an abundant water supply, strengthening its case for the second airport. Signatories of the memorandum include MLAs H.A. Iqbal Hussain (Ramanagara), H.C. Balakrishna (Maddur), P.M. Narendra Swamy (Malavalli), A.B. Ramesh Babu Bandisiddegowda (Srirangapatna), K.M. Uday (Maddur), and P. Ravikumar (Mandya). MLCs S. Ravi, Dinesh Gooligowda, Puttanna, and former Congress candidate Venkataramane Gowda (Star Chandru) also supported the appeal. (Starofmysore)