After being declared a customs airport in 2010, Madurai Airport has finally become an international terminal. A Union Cabinet Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal on March 10. The decision will facilitate the operation of flights to international destinations, particularly West Asian countries, Singapore and Malaysia, which host a significant diaspora from southern Tamil Nadu.
Airstrip from the British era
One of Tamil Nadu’s oldest airports, Madurai was the gateway to the southern districts for a long time until Thoothukudi Airport was inaugurated in 1992. The Madurai airstrip, which was commissioned in 1942, was used to transport newspapers from Chennai to Madurai. It became a civilian airport in 1952 and began commercial operations in 1957.
With a small terminal building, Madurai Airport handled only domestic flights to destinations including New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. The opening of a spacious integrated terminal in September 2010 revived demand for international flights. However, the airport was then given the status of a customs office. This status has equipped the airport with modern facilities such as a 17,560 square meter integrated terminal containing 36 check-in counters and aerobridges.
The first international flight landed in Madurai in September 2012. Colombo became the first international destination to be connected to Madurai with the launch of its SpiceJet services. Soon, Mihin Lanka offered a service between Madurai and Colombo. The next year, Madurai got a direct flight to Dubai.
Only two international flights were in operation for a long time. Then came Air India Express with the first direct flight to Singapore in September 2017. The service initially operated four days a week and became daily from March 2018 due to demand. Abu Dhabi has become the fourth international destination linked with Madurai in 2025.
Late night flights
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has made Madurai Airport 24/7 operational from October 1, 2024.
However, passenger patronage was on the rise, with the airport handling 1.39 million passengers in 2024–25, including 0.23 million international passengers. This forced AAI to initiate a series of reconfiguration projects in the terminal to increase passenger handling capacity.
The immigration counters have been moved to the first floor and additional space on the ground floor has been used to increase the number of check-in counters from 16 to 28, said Madurai Airport Director P. Muthu Kumar.
There are now 16 immigration counters for international travelers. Flights to three international destinations – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Colombo – are operational after Air India Express pulled its popular Singapore service. Additional X-ray machines are installed to scan luggage.
Meanwhile, AAI has fast-tracked its earlier proposal for another terminal building. “We are planning another terminal building with an area of 10,000 square meters, which will be exclusively for international passengers,” the airport director said. Acquisition of more than 500 acres of land for runway expansion is in advanced stage.
“The demand for international status for Madurai airport was raised even when I was a member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha from 1992-98),” said VV Rajan Chellappa, AIADMK MLA from Tirupparankundram constituency, where the airport is located.
The main reason why Madurai could not attract air services to other international destinations including Kuala Lumpur was the lack of Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) with other countries.
Senior industrialist S. Rethinavelu, who spearheaded the demand on behalf of trade and industry representatives, said it had not been met all these years for flimsy reasons. “Some political leaders thought that the development of Madurai airport would hurt the growth of Tiruchi International Airport,” he added.
When the policy to protect Indian airlines came up for discussion, a demand was made to include Madurai airport in the BASA area for certain destinations. “Then the central government was under the impression that if foreign airlines landed in Madurai, they would grab all the business opportunities of Indian airlines,” he added.
“election trick”
Virudhunagar MP B. Manickam Tagore, who is also the chairman of the Madurai Airport Advisory Committee, called the Centre’s decision an “election gimmick”. “Only the name board of the airport has changed. But other formalities to ensure air connectivity to the desired international destinations have not been completed,” he said.
Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan thanked Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu for finally addressing the long-standing demand of the southern districts.
“We have been making this demand for a long time. Due to the centre’s stubborn stand denying the BASA for Madurai airport, airlines like Air Arabia and Fly Dubai, which had shown keen interest in operating international services to Madurai, could not do so,” he said.
He pointed out that the Center had awarded three international airports to Uttar Pradesh in just 10 months. “Madurai sees better international passenger favor than the three airports in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
Trade bodies have also urged the government to include Madurai as a Point of Contact (PoC) in the list of 18 tourism destinations across India for designated ASEAN carriers under the ASEAN Open Sky Policy. “But the minister then rejected the demand, claiming it was a one-off political decision,” Mr. Tagore said. Meanwhile, Khajuraho Airport was made a PoC under the scheme, though it was a domestic airport without any international services, Mr. Venkatesan added.
However, Mr. Rammohan Naidu, who unveiled the name boards of Madurai International Airport in the city on Saturday (March 14, 2026), said that the center will help in making international connectivity available to Madurai as it has ensured 24×7 operation of the airport and given it the status of an international airport.
Mr. Rethinavelu said bringing Madurai airport under the ASEAN Open Sky policy would open floodgates for the airport to operate flights to 10 countries – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. It will promote tourism and pilgrimage activities in Kodaikanal, Courtallam, Rameswaram, Kanniyakumari and Karaikudi.
“Madurai, a hub of hospitals providing quality treatment at an affordable cost, will become an attractive destination for medical tourism,” he added. Besides, it would facilitate further development of the Madurai-Thoothukudi industrial corridor.
Tamil Nadu big bet
With Tamil Nadu projected to be a trillion dollar economy by 2030-31, the key indicator and force multiplier that would propel the state forward would be world-class airports and diversified aviation growth. In line with its objective of distributed development, the state has focused on developing three key airports – Parandur (near Chennai), Hosur and Rameswaram. These promising projects could bring Tamil Nadu back to the top three spots on the country’s aviation map, say experts.
Until the late 1990s, Madras was the center of air connectivity in South India. At the beginning of the millennium, it began to lose its luster. While other metro airports were lined up for privatization due to efficient operations, expansion of connectivity and addition of passengers, Chennai’s second airport planned at Sriperumbudur was sidelined. In the last four years, the state government has finally caught up.
While Parandur Airport would be to Chennai what Kempegowda International Airport is to Bengaluru, the Hosur project would not only further boost industrial growth in the region but also attract traffic from Bengaluru. Rameswaram Airport is expected to improve tourism prospects and boost regional development.
corrector
The state government is pinning its hopes on this ambitious project that could drastically change the flying experience from Chennai. Announced in 2022, it has so far received permission to operate and approval in principle. The government is preparing to complete the purchase of land. The ₹27,400 crore project, which will be implemented in four phases, will expand capacity and enable the airport to handle 100 million passengers annually.
While 5,746 acres have been earmarked for this project, 1,700 acres have been acquired so far. According to sources, a tender will be announced to select a concessionaire. Some of the leading private airports have reportedly shown interest in the project. The government also needs to increase its efforts to connect Parandur to the main areas of the city with a mass rapid transit system.
Hosur
The Hosur airport could be a game-changer for the state, which is banking on its manufacturing capacity. Due to its proximity to Bengaluru, a section of Bengaluru residents and businesses could benefit significantly from the Hosur airport, a manufacturing and electronics hub. But the wait for Hosur will be longer and the process of securing approval is unlikely to be easy.
According to Bangalore International Airport Limited’s concession agreement with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, it cannot start any new airport for commercial flight operations within a radius of 150 km till 2033, and this is the biggest stumbling block. However, the center recently said it will review the current policy that prevents two airports from operating within a 150 km radius.
Although the state government fairly quickly finalized the site for the Hosur airport in Shoolagiri taluk (between Berigai and Bagalur) and sought approval from the defense ministry, the airspace request was rejected twice. Sources said the state government intends to go ahead with the request.
Rameswaram
The Rameswaram airport project is in the nascent stage. Although envisioned as a small airport with the capacity to handle C-code aircraft, when it is ready in the next 5-7 years, it could boost the tourism potential of the region dotted with iconic and ancient temples. After completing a preliminary feasibility study of two sites – near Uchipulli and Keelakarai, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) proposed the second site. The state government will select the site in the next few months and nearly 600 acres will have to be acquired for the airport.
(With inputs from Sunitha Sekar in Chennai.)
