State plans to turn HAL into mega aviation hub, but awaits Centre’s nod

Bengaluru: The state govt is preparing a 10-year blueprint to turn Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport campus in Bengaluru into an integrated defence-civil-space aviation district, positioning the city among the world's leading aerospace hubs. HAL Aerospace Renaissance Masterplan (2026–2036), prepared by Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission (KSPPC) and submitted to chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh for central clearance, proposes redeveloping nearly 700 acres into a unified ecosystem combining military aviation, commercial operations, space mobility and emerging technologies. If cleared, the project aims to place Bengaluru alongside global centres such as Toulouse, Hamburg and Seattle by 2036. The plan proposes a joint state-centre implementation authority to fast-track approvals, manage land use and coordinate across ministries. A digital control tower is also envisaged to track maintenance, repair and overhaul output, research and development activity, and clean energy adoption. But the proposal hinges on central approval since the airport is administered by the ministry of defence. In a communication to the infrastructure development department, officials said, "any decisions regarding its redevelopment, land-use optimization, and integration with broader aerospace innovation activities must be taken at the level of the defence ministry." Officials also suggested aligning the project with the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor and the Bengaluru-Mumbai Economic Corridor to strengthen trade and logistics networks. Mohandas Hegde, KSPPC member, said that if executed through a PPP or joint venture with global aerospace majors and national institutions, the project could generate over $20 billion in economic output and create more than two lakh high-skilled jobs. The blueprint suggests a key pillar is a Safran-led maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) ecosystem and an India-based M88 engine facility for Rafale jets. It also proposes co-manufacturing air-to-surface weapons with Bharat Electronics Ltd. The district will integrate civil aviation, defence and space-linked systems, while introducing urban air mobility such as electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxis and autonomous platforms with dedicated testing corridors. The plan includes a HAL Global Training and Skilling Academy to train 20,000 technicians annually.