Centre Grants In-Principle Approval for ₹30,000 Cr Parandur Airport Project in Tamil Nadu

The Union Civil Aviation Ministry has accorded in-principle approval for the establishment of a greenfield airport at Parandur in the Kanchipuram district, indicating that Tamil Nadu will soon see an improvement in aviation infrastructure. Spread over 5,400 acres and estimated to cost ₹30,000 crore, the new airport that will decongest Chennai’s existing airport will be constructed in four phases.

After the go-ahead, the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) will initiate the process of calling for tenders to identify a concessionaire for the mega initiative. The new airport will consist of two runways, several passenger terminal buildings, cargo facilities, taxiways, aprons, and other support facilities. When commissioned, it is expected to cater to nearly 10 crore flyers a year, bringing Chennai closer to an aviation hub at Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

“This development is a milestone towards enhanced regional connectivity. “The NDA government is steadfast in its resolve to enhance aviation in Tamil Nadu,” Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu said.

TIDCO is also drafting a detailed Master Plan for rehabilitating around 1,000 families from 13 villages that lie in the project area. But the plan has faced staunch resistance from the residents of Ekanapuram village, where one of the airport’s runways is slated to be built. Despite offers of compensation three times the market value and a government job for one member in each impacted family, a fraction of the villagers are unwilling to surrender their land.

The site at Parandur was chosen in August 2022 among four finalists that were identified by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The construction will start only after an environmental clearance.

And while expansion to Chennai’s existing airport in recent years has allowed capacity to grow with the traffic, experts have been clamoring for a new, modern facility to meet demand. Once completed, the Parandur airport is expected to fill that void and help develop a key aviation hub in the South of India.