BIA will now become Kempegowda airport

Bengaluru International Airport will go by the name of Kempegowda International Airport. During the 500th birth centenary celebrations of Bangalore’s chieftain, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa announced that the government had decided to rename the airport. He was speaking after giving away the Kempegowda awards to 234 persons from various fields. “The decision, however, needs the Centre’s nod. An allparty delegation will go to the Prime Minister with a plea to rename BIA,’’ the CM said. Bangalore South MP Ananth Kumar gave examples of airports like O’Hare Airport at Chicago, Charles De Gaulle Airport at Paris, the Chhattrapati Shivaji Airport at Mumbai and Subhash Chandra Bose Airport in Kolkata, that are all named after leaders and prominent people from these cities. “BIA should get the name of ‘Nada Prabhu’ Kempegowda. The Union cabinet’s nod is also required for the new name,” he said.