The battle for India’s booming aerospace future has turned into a full-blown turf war—pitting Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in a high-stakes, very public face-off over investment, jobs, and industrial dominance.
With the aerospace sector projected to double in value to $54.4 billion by 2033, India’s southern powerhouses are scrambling to lure global players. The latest flashpoint: Karnataka’s ambitious plan to develop an aerospace park near Bengaluru, which quickly triggered an aggressive counter from Andhra Pradesh.
Just hours after Karnataka announced it had earmarked 1,777 acres of land near Kempegowda International Airport for a proposed park, Andhra Pradesh’s Human Resources Minister Nara Lokesh took to X (formerly Twitter) with a direct pitch to aerospace investors: “Sorry to hear about this. I have a better idea for you… Why don’t you look at Andhra Pradesh instead?”
Lokesh didn’t stop there. He touted “best-in-class incentives” and a staggering 8,000 acres of ready-to-use land “just outside Bengaluru”—a not-so-subtle swipe aimed squarely at Karnataka’s prized aerospace turf. “Hope to see you soon to talk across the table,” he added.
Karnataka’s response was swift and cutting. M.B. Patil, Minister for Large and Medium Industries, dismissed the overture with steel: “He thinks he can fish in troubled waters. However, our waters are calm… Not a single industry will move out of Karnataka due to land shortage.”
The confrontation has sparked national attention. Karnataka currently holds 65% of India’s aerospace and defense sector, but Andhra Pradesh is aggressively positioning itself to change that. Its new ₹4 trillion investment plan outlines specialized corridors for aerospace manufacturing—targeting locations like Visakhapatnam–Srikakulam for naval systems and Lepakshi–Maddakasira for electronics.
The BJP, in opposition in Karnataka, jumped in too. MP Tejasvi Surya slammed Lokesh’s tactics and called on the state government to “correct its course.”
With both states offering massive land banks, ultra-low land rates, and incentives, the aerospace turf war is far from over.
