Parandur airport gets in-principle approval from Centre

Chennai: The Union Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday granted in-principle approval for the construction of a greenfield airport for Chennai in Parandur, located in Kanchipuram district. With this approval, the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) will float bids to select a concessionaire for the ambitious project, which will span an area of 5,400 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 30,000 crore.

“I believe the Parandur Airport represents a significant step towards enhancing regional connectivity, and the NDA government is committed to further bolstering Tamil Nadu’s aviation infrastructure,” Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said.

The state government has also applied for environmental clearance for the construction of the airport, and work will begin only once this process is completed.

Although the government selected Parandur from among four sites surveyed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in August 2022, the ambitious project has faced a roadblock due to protests by villagers from Ekanapuram, where the runway is likely to be built.

Despite promises such as compensation amounting to three times the market value and a government job for one person from each affected family, a section of the villagers are standing firm, stating that they will not part with their land.

TIDCO is also working with stakeholders to prepare the Master Plan for rehabilitating 1,000 families from 13 villages that will be affected by the project.

In August last year, the Civil Aviation Ministry granted site approval, following which TIDCO applied for in-principle approval for the project.

The new airport will feature two runways, multiple terminal buildings, taxiways, aprons, a cargo terminal, and other infrastructure. It is being designed to handle approximately 10 crore passengers annually.

Although the number of flights and daily footfall have increased manifold over the years, the city still lacks a modern airport like those in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The AAI has been expanding the terminal buildings at the existing airport to accommodate the ever-increasing passenger numbers, but a new airport has long been overdue.