Chennai's Second Airport Gets Site Clearance For Parandur, Construction To Begin In 2026

The Union government has approved the development of Chennai’s second airport at the Parandur site.

The approval was granted by the Steering Committee on Greenfield Airports on 9 July, following an application from the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO).

The TIDCO submitted the application for site clearance in 2023, after the Tamil Nadu government finalised Parandur in Kancheepuram district as the location for Chennai’s second airport in 2022.

According to TIDCO's plan, the greenfield airport will be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 32,704 crore and constructed in four phases. The airport, which will feature three terminal buildings, is designed to accommodate 100 million passengers annually.

Construction of the first phase is set to begin in January 2026 and conclude by December 2028. The subsequent phases will follow, with the final phase expected to be completed by December 2046.

Minister for Civil Aviation Rammohan Naidu informed the Rajya Sabha that the proposal was thoroughly examined in consultation with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the Ministry of Defence/Indian Air Force, as per the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy.

Upon completion of the consultation process, the proposal was recommended for site clearance by the Steering Committee on Greenfield Airports.

The committee, composed of nine officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA, AAI, Ministry of Defence, and the Indian Meteorological Department, among others, endorsed the proposal.

The Parandur project is being opposed by locals who have been protesting for more than 700 days. Families in two of the 13 villages in Parandur (who have to give up their homes and agricultural lands for the project) are planning to move to Andhra Pradesh, reports Deccan Herald.

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

State Chief Minister M K Stalin said that both, the existing airport at Meenambakkam and the upcoming airport at Parandur, would function simultaneously, catering to the rapidly increasing demand in the civil aviation sector.

Thus, similar to Delhi (Delhi and Noida airports), Mumbai (Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports) and Goa (Dabolim and Mopa airports), Chennai may soon get two airport systems.