Tamil Nadu Finalises Sites for Hosur Airport Amid Protests Over Parandur Project

Even as protests intensify against the ₹20,000 crore greenfield airport project in Parandur, the Tamil Nadu government has identified two potential sites for a new international airport in Hosur, about 85 km from Bengaluru.

A senior government official confirmed that the state is in the process of appointing a consultant to carry out an Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) survey in Hosur. “Two locations have been finalised one near Taneja Aviation and Aerospace Limited in Belagondapalli, and another near Shoolagiri,” the official said.

The new Hosur airport would take more than 2,000 acres and is intended to serve a capacity of 30 million passengers per year. But since there is a binding agreement with Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), no airport can be established in the next 150 km from Kempegowda International Airport till 2033 Hosur falls within this restricted zone.

Despite this, the Tamil Nadu government is pushing forward with major infrastructure projects as part of its ambition to become a $1 trillion economy by 2030 and a top investment destination in Asia.

Meanwhile, resistance against the Parandur airport project—about 250 km from Hosur—continues to grow. Approved in principle by the Civil Aviation Ministry on April 7, the Parandur Airport is set to handle 100 million passengers annually by 2030. It will cover 4,791 acres of land including 2,605 acres of wetlands and will affect 13 villages in Chengalpattu district.

Locals have organized peaceful protests since 2022 on the grounds of environmental and livelihood issues. On April 20, they requested the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to roll back finance for connected infrastructure, such as Phase 4 of the Chennai Metro Rail, which will connect to Parandur. They had even boycotted last year’s Lok Sabha elections in protest.

Environmental activist Prabhakaran Veeraarasu called on the government to rethink the Parandur project and make public the Machendranathan committee’s hydrology report, which deals with flood threats in the region.

With Tamil Nadu rapidly developing its airport infrastructure, it must balance development with concern for the public and the environment.