Chennai: Six Land Parcels Identified For Airport Expansion, To Meet Annual Demand Of 55 Million Passengers

Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) will conduct a joint survey of six land parcels for further expansion of Chennai International Airport, according to the airport director, Dr Sharad Kumar.

The move is intended to meet the demand of 55 million passengers per annum (MPPA).

Chennai International Airport, one of the largest airports in India, is currently operating on 1,317 acres of land area. Every year, the airport serves 22 million passengers.

Following further expansion, the airport will require additional apron bays for aircraft to handle a projected 55 million passengers. The cargo infrastructure would be changed to make room for the additional apron bays.

A feasibility study is being conducted by RITES and Alexandra Richter ARC Consulting, which is expected to be completed within the next six months.

AAI had requested that the Tamil Nadu government acquire 306 acres for the construction of an international terminal and cargo terminal on the other side of the Adyar River.

The expansion follows the government's acquisition of land for the second Greenfield Airport in Parandur.

The construction of the proposed Parandur Greenfield Airport would be completed by 2028. The project will cost Rs 20,000 crore.

The state government has chosen Parandur, 69 kilometres from Chennai, as the location for a new airport that will be built on 4,700 acres to accommodate passenger traffic for the next 30 to 35 years.

Bengaluru, which ranked fifth in 2008 before constructing a new airport there, has improved compared to Chennai, which ranked third in 2008. The current airport at Meenambakkam in Chennai has fallen to the fifth position.

The airport's second phase of modernisation is set to be completed by December 2024.