Chennai: Amid the outcry over the state govt dropping the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur and voices that the decision would put Tamil Nadu behind neighbouring states in growth, a Tirunelveli-based research organisation has said future airport proposals for the state should be triggered by demonstrated demand rather than projections alone.According to the study out by Uvakai Research Organisation, the immediate need, timing and scale of another major international airport for the state have not been conclusively established going by the passenger demand, cargo demand or airport utilisation. “Tamil Nadu will eventually require additional aviation capacity as its economy grows, but the immediate requirement has not been established,” said the report.Releasing the study report in the city on Thursday, Vidhubala E, one of the authors, said that while the six airports in Tamil Nadu together have a passenger-handling capacity of about 48.8 million passengers per annum (MPPA), they handle about 29.4 million passengers (60%) according to 2024-25 data.“Chennai airport handled around 22.4 million passengers in 2024-25 against its capacity of 30MPPA. If the airport reaches the saturation point of 35MPPA when the under-construction integrated Terminal 3 becomes operational, it need not be treated as the airport’s absolute operational ceiling, as capacity could be increased through operational improvements and further expansion,” she said. The report also highlighted that Chennai airport’s cargo handling capacity is at 34.4%, handling 3.79 lakh tonnes of cargo in 2024-25 against its annual capacity of about 11.02 lakh tonnes.Uvakai in Jan had released a report on waterbodies in Kancheepuram district, where the greenfield airport was proposed.The foundation said Tamil Nadu is at an advantage compared to other southern states because economic growth and urbanisation are more geographically distributed across the state. “Rather than allowing aviation infrastructure and future growth to become concentrated around Chennai, the state could pursue a more inclusive model by strengthening its existing airport network,” said the study.The foundation has called for a detailed assessment of Chennai airport’s expansion potential, including better utilisation of the secondary runway, improvements in taxiway and apron efficiency, air-traffic and navigation systems, peak-hour management and terminal expansion. It also suggested examining adjoining land for cargo, MRO, hangars and logistics activities, potentially freeing up space within the core airport for passenger and aircraft operations.
