Calls To Fast-Track Work At Parandur As Airlines Give Chennai Airport A Miss

As international airlines abruptly pull out of the city airport, there is a mounting clamour to accelerate progress on Chennai's second airport at Parandur.

In August 2022, Chief Minister M K Stalin had announced that a greenfield airport would be built in Parandur, at an investment of Rs 20,000 crore with a capacity to handle 100 million passengers per annum.

The Parandur airport project is taking shape in the Kancheepuram district, approximately 60 km southwest of the current Chennai International Airport in Meenambakkam, catering to over 18 million passengers annually.

The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), responsible for the project's execution, has formally submitted the site clearance application to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

It's worth mentioning that the Ministry of Defence has already greenlit the project, issuing a 'no objection' for the site, and the state government has also granted administrative approval for the airport.

However, beyond the administrative challenges, one critical step in the establishment of the Parandur airport — land acquisition — has yet to commence.

The acquisition of the 3,774 acres necessary for the project may prove lengthy, as residents and farmers in the area have persistently opposed the airport as they will have to give up their land, severely affecting their livelihoods.

With the project potentially requiring seven to eight years for completion, civil aviation experts emphasise the urgency of expediting proceedings.

“Tamil Nadu and its economy have already lost a lot because of the inadequate airport infrastructure. The loss to the economy may also multiply if the development of the airport is not strategically prioritised” writes The Hindu quoting Kapil Kaul, chief executive officer and director of CAPA India, an aviation consultancy.

The decline in international flights has reverberated in Parliament, as Rajya Sabha Member from Tamil Nadu, P Wilson, highlighted a significant surge in the withdrawal of international flight operations by global carriers.

“There has been a drastic increase in the withdrawal of operations of international flights. This is due to the shortage of aerobridges for international flights, with only four being available,” he said.