Parandur Airport Faces One-Year Delay Amid Land Acquisition Hurdles

The greenfield airport project at Parandur in Chennai is facing a whopping delay of around a year in its ambitious implementation due to slow progress in land acquisition, particularly in Ekanapuram village, where the runway is proposed.

The original schedule, as envisioned by the Tamil Nadu government, was to complete procurement of lands by October 2025 before commencing groundwork in January 2026 so that the first phase of the airport can go live by December 2028. However, officials now say that tenders may not be floated before the end of this year, thereby pushing stalling completion date from December 2029 to early 2030.

“Without major land in hand, the tendering process can’t go ahead,” said a source close to the project. While some of the landowners have agreed to part with their land, large sections, especially in Ekanapuram, remain out of reach for the government owing to local resistance. The critical stretch’s acquisition delay is affecting the project timeline.

Adding to the complications is the delay in Environmental Clearance. The scrutiny committee looking at the clearance is meant to be holding a meeting before this year ends, but sources said the required studies and documents have not done been yet. “The consultant needs to get into Ekanapuram to gather environmental data-as it is, we can’t move forward,” quoted a source.

The state government is also working on enforcing recommendations from the Water Resources Department, apart from incorporating findings from a hydrogeological study to protect local waters.

Slated to be built for an estimated ₹27,400 crore across the four phases, the Parandur airport will also require 5,369 acres across 20 villages in Kancheepuram and Sriperumbudur districts. When completed, this will become the second airport in Chennai, mainly taking the pressure off the existing facility at Meenambakkam and catering to the future aviation development needs of the region.

The project is, therefore, being viewed with concern by both the industry and the public, and any further delays will raise eyebrows, economic and political.