The Karnataka Government has proposed a 10-year master plan to redevelop the 700-acre Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) Airport campus in Bengaluru into a world-class integrated aerospace district, combining defence, civil aviation, space mobility, and emerging technologies.The HAL Aerospace Renaissance Masterplan (2026–2036), prepared by the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission (KSPPC), has been submitted to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh for central clearance.The plan proposes redeveloping the nearly 700 acres into a unified ecosystem, with the goal of placing Bengaluru alongside global aerospace centres such as Toulouse (France), Hamburg (Germany), and Seattle (US) by 2036.In a letter, KSPPC member S Mohandass Hegde said Bengaluru can register its new growth footprint by becoming Asia’s first defence-civil-space fusion district, which can also provide over two lakh high-skill jobs across engineering, robotics, artificial intelligence, composites, and green energy.Key proposals include a joint state-Centre implementation authority to fast-track approvals and coordinate across ministries, and a digital control tower to monitor maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) output, research and development activity, and clean energy adoption.The blueprint also suggests aligning the project with the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor and the Bengaluru-Mumbai Economic Corridor to boost trade and logistics.An MRO ecosystem led by global aerospace major Safran and an India-based M88 engine facility for Rafale jets form the plan’s central pillars. Co-manufacturing of air-to-surface weapons with Bharat Electronics Ltd is also proposed.Story continues below this adThe district would further introduce urban air mobility solutions, including electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxis and autonomous platforms with dedicated testing corridors. A HAL Global Training and Skilling Academy is envisaged to train 20,000 technicians annually.Hegde said the project, if executed through a public-private partnership or joint venture with global aerospace majors, could generate over $20 billion in economic output.He further said, “The HAL Aerospace Renaissance Masterplan (2026–2036)—strengthened by Safran’s MRO and defence manufacturing investments—presents a powerful national opportunity to elevate India into the top tier of global aerospace nations. It delivers on India’s goals of defence preparedness, self-reliance, clean energy aviation, and advanced manufacturing, while transforming Bengaluru into the Global Aerospace Capital of the Future.”HAL airport is administered by the Ministry of Defence, and officials have noted that all decisions on redevelopment and land use must receive central clearance before the project can move forward.