The Tamil Nadu government is looking for a new airport instead of Parandur

In the eye of the storm: Almost 1,700 acres of land has already been acquired for the Parandur airport project announced by the DMK government in 2022. | Photo credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

The Tamil Nadu government, along with officials and experts, will explore the possibility of finding an alternative site for the proposed greenfield airport near Chennai, Energy Resources and Law Minister R. Nirmalkumar said on Thursday. He said the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam stood firm against the project planned in Parandur.

Speaking to reporters after the governor’s address to the gathering, Mr. Nirmalkumar said, “The first field protest of our Chief Minister (as president of TVK) started at Parandur. We are firm on this stand. But we are not against development or the airport. Why should water bodies and cultivable land be destroyed for a development project? We will consider it with the Chief Minister and announce it and make an alternative site for this project.”

The minister’s remarks came amid speculation that the TVK government was planning to scrap the airport project at Parandur, nearly 70 km from Chennai. On January 20, 2025, Mr. Vijay went to Kancheepuram district and met the villagers protesting against the project.

For the Parandur airport announced in 2022 by the DMK government, nearly 1,700 acres of land has already been acquired after site clearance and in-principle approval. It’s unwise to abandon the project at this point, say industry leaders and air travelers.

VN Shivashankar, senior vice-president of the South Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI), said the Tamil Nadu government should not cancel the project immediately.

He said, “Chennai needs a good airport. It will be a setback for the state if they decide to leave it after getting majority approval. Be it foreign or domestic investors, the first impression they make of the city is through the airport. The airport greatly accelerates the development of the city as well as the state.”

“Airports like Bengaluru and Hyderabad are examples of how much a city is growing and gaining from having a big airport. We request the government to discuss with industry bodies before taking a final decision as it has a significant impact on all of us,” he added.

It takes several years to identify a new site for an airport and at least 3-4 years to complete construction. An aviation expert said the government looked at several locations before selecting four and focusing on Parandur. “It will take at least one year to identify the site and get the Airports Authority of India to do a preliminary feasibility study. Then the site clearance and basic approval could take another two years. And then the land acquisition, construction and commissioning of the airport could take at least 5-6 years,” he said.

He also pointed out that finding a place for an airport would not be so easy. “Availability of airspace, wind direction and type of obstacles play a huge role in deciding the location. The problems cited at Parandur could occur at other locations as well,” he added.

Air travelers also feel that dropping Parandur means that the wait for the city to have a good airport will be much longer and they will bear it. Vasanthi Kannan, a frequent traveler said, “Several passengers like me are not at all happy with the current airport, due to its maintenance among others. It will be immensely beneficial for the passengers if the airport is built at Parandur and the privatized airports in the country have already shown that.”

Published – 18 Jun 2026 23:34 IST