Parandur Airport Moves Closer to Final Approval – Steering Committee Recommends Proposal to Aviation Ministry

Several rounds of discussion between Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, the chief secretary of Tamil Nadu and the civil aviation ministry saw the high-level Steering Committee recommending the sanction for the Parandur airport project to the Union Environment Ministry, enabling it to forward the Parandur airport project proposal to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in a crucial step towards final approval. It pushes Tamil Nadu’s ambitious second airport project a step closer to realization with the state government trying to start work on phase one by 2026.

The airport has a proposal to come up with two parallel runways in the first phase itself, and this will eventually expand to cater to the traffic, which could reach 100 million passengers annually when fully operational.

A source in New Delhi revealed that the Tamil Nadu government has been provided with the minutes of the meeting, which indicates a formal announcement will be made soon.

The Steering Committee met in New Delhi on March 12, with representatives/officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Tamil Nadu government, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India in attendance. A key agenda item was to evaluate the feasibility of the project and whether to recommend it for in-principle approval.

Unlike state government officials who have made few if any public statements, sources have told me that most departments have voiced support for the project. But DGCA has flagged issues over flocks of buildings, chimneys, power lines that will have to be removed. In addition, environmental issues such as waterbodies and potential flooding were also discussed. The Tamil Nadu government assured the panel that it had drawn up a “thorough plan” for allaying these concerns.

The other concern NITI Aayog had was over the project displacing 1,005 families. The state government said it is working on a comprehensive package of rehabilitation measures, including financial assistance, for affected residents.

On August 1, 2024, the Centre issued site clearance for the Parandur airport. A month later, the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) applied to the Ministry of Civil Aviation for in-principle approval. Having this recommendation from the Steering Committee in place now, clearance for the project should follow soon, to enable Chennai to get its second airport, much needed at that.