CHENNAI: Chennai’s long-pending second airport project has reached a crucial juncture, but the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur remains caught between the city’s growing aviation needs and opposition over land, waterbodies and the impact on local communities.The latest push for a second airport has come from industry. P Ravichandran, deputy chairman of the CII Southern Region, said Chennai would need another airport within the next five to 10 years to keep pace with its economic growth and emergence as a global manufacturing hub.Ravichandran told news agency ANI that the existing Chennai airport can meet the city’s requirements for now, particularly if its efficiency is improved, but a second airport would become necessary in the medium term. He said the location should be decided by the government.Why is Chennai’s second airport being delayed?The biggest hurdle is the uncertainty surrounding Parandur, the site selected by the previous Tamil Nadu government for Chennai’s second airport.The proposed greenfield airport, around 70km from Chennai, had made significant progress at the central level. In July 2024, Union civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu told the Rajya Sabha that the Steering Committee on Greenfield Airports had recommended site clearance for the Parandur airport.The proposal had been examined in consultation with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Defence. Parandur was selected after a pre-feasibility assessment of four locations — Parandur, Pannur, Thiruporur and Padalam.However, the project subsequently ran into strong local opposition, particularly over its impact on agricultural land, waterbodies and the livelihoods of farmers.Why is Parandur facing opposition?The proposed project involves a large land requirement and has faced sustained protests from residents of villages in and around Parandur.CM Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has taken a position against proceeding with the airport at the proposed site.Last month, minister R Nirmalkumar said the government was not opposed to a second airport for Chennai but differed over the proposed location.He said the government was against sacrificing “vast agricultural fields and waterbodies for an airport”.Nirmalkumar also said experts would be consulted on whether an alternative land parcel could be identified and that the final decision would rest with chief minister Vijay.Has Parandur airport been scrapped?The key uncertainty is whether Parandur has actually been abandoned or whether the government will explore another site for Chennai’s second airport.Sources said CM Joseph Vijay was expected to visit Parandur and announce that the project had been dropped. The report also said the government was considering alternatives. The announcement came after DMK said that it had acquired nearly 50% of the land needed for the airport with compensation ranging from Rs 35 lakh to Rs 1.1 crore/acre.This creates another potential delay: finding a suitable alternative site around Chennai.Retired IAS official Phanindra Reddy told TOI that identifying around 5,000 acres near Chennai would not be easy because much of the region has waterbodies. He also pointed to the need for further clearances even after a new site is selected.Why does Chennai need another airport?Industry argues that the issue is no longer simply about passenger traffic.Ravichandran said Chennai’s airport requirements must also be assessed in the context of Tamil Nadu’s expanding manufacturing sector. He highlighted the state’s role in electronics manufacturing and said around 50% of Apple iPhones are made in Tamil Nadu.A significant volume of electronic goods and components produced in the region is transported by air, making air cargo capacity an important factor in planning Chennai’s future airport infrastructure, Ravichandran said.“Any airport is an economic engine,” he said.Ravichandran suggested that a future airport should give cargo infrastructure equal, if not greater, importance. Planners, he said, should examine whether passenger and cargo operations can be separated or whether dedicated terminals could allow goods to move efficiently from industrial parks to cargo facilities.The government now faces two competing requirements: Chennai needs additional aviation capacity, but the proposed Parandur site has generated substantial opposition.Ravichandran urged stakeholders to give the Tamil Nadu government time to evaluate alternatives following the opposition to Parandur. According to ANI, he said it would be unfair to blame the chief minister at this stage and expressed confidence that the government and its bureaucracy would arrive at an appropriate solution.CII, he clarified, is not recommending a particular location.The larger challenge is therefore not whether Chennai needs a second airport, but where it should be built, how much land it will require, how environmental and livelihood concerns will be addressed, and how quickly the necessary approvals can be secured.(With agency inputs)
