By Sobia Khan

Copyright indiatimes

A builders’ lobby group has sought relaxation in building height restrictions around the city’s HAL airport, claiming that tough regulations have come in the way of vertical growth of projects, causing scarcity of real estate in prime locations and driving up prices.In a recent letter to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd that operates the airport, the Bengaluru chapter of Credai urged the state-run aircraft manufacturer to review the height restrictions in the city and ensure parity with other defence airports. It pressed HAL to allow aeronautical studies to assess and grant safe, practical exemptions wherever applicable.“Reassess non-operational airspace zones and consider releasing them for urban development where feasible,” Credai-Bengaluru said. “We believe this collaborative approach will not only help address Bengaluru’s housing and infrastructure demands but also strengthen the city’s position as a well-balanced and globally competitive metropolitan.”Government regulations cap the height at 150 metres for defence airports and 300 meters for civilian airports within a designated radius. HAL for its Bengaluru airport has imposed a ceiling of 1,037 metres above mean sea level up to a 20-km radius of the airport, the industry body said in its letter, dated September 1 and addressed to HAL chairman DK Sunil.Since Bengaluru is around 900 meters above mean sea level, the HAL ceiling in effect reduces the permissible height to around 150 meters.Live EventsAccording to an aviation expert, within 4 km of the aerodrome reference point (ARP), the maximum height allowed is 45 meters above the aerodrome elevation. “Beyond 6.1 km and up to 20 km from the ARP, the maximum allowed height remains flat at 150 meters above the aerodrome elevation” for the HAL airport, he said. For civil airports, the height restriction beyond 9.1 km is flat at 300 meters above ARP up to 20km, the expert said.This restriction imposed by HAL has left projects in central areas such as Indiranagar, Domlur, Koramangala, Whitefield and MG Road scaled down or stalled, according to the letter, which ET has seen.The curbs were stifling the city’s natural growth trajectory, creating artificial scarcity in core areas, inflating peripheral prices, and pushing growth to locations like Hebbal, Yelahanka and Devanahalli, Credai claimed.The industry body estimates HAL’s regulations have delayed about 1,300 projects, while land in centrally connected zones remained locked. As a result, northern suburbs like Devanahalli saw property prices surge 50% in 2024–25, a speculative spike the industry blamed on HAL’s restrictions.The association also noted that HAL units in Nashik, Hyderabad and Koraput follow central rules without additional restrictions.Bengaluru-based HAL, as well as the air force and the Centre for Airborne Systems uses the airport in the middle of the city as a test facility for defence purposes, and this may explain the stringent height restrictions it has imposed around the airport.In an emailed response to ET’s questions, an HAL spokesperson said the clearances were issued up to the permissible top elevation. HAL’s airspace is used for military test flying by defence establishments, the spokesperson said. As a defence aerodrome operator, HAL issues non-objection certificates with additional conditions, if necessary, for test flights, it said.It said the Airports Authority of India, the agency that manages state-run civil airports, conducts aeronautical study, exploring the possibility of increasing the building height cap. But this is applicable only to civil aerodromes, and therefore not relevant or applicable in the HAL NOC procedure, the spokesperson said.Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now!
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)

Read More News onreal estateHAL airportheight restrictionsBengaluru housing marketurban developmentHindustan Aeronautics LtdAirports Authority of Indiahindustan aeronautics ltd

(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online….moreless

(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onreal estateHAL airportheight restrictionsBengaluru housing marketurban developmentHindustan Aeronautics LtdAirports Authority of Indiahindustan aeronautics ltd(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online….moreless