Tamil Nadu scraps Parandur airport plan, looks for new site near Chennai

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay on Monday announced that his government would abandon steps to establish a second airport at Parandur near Chennai, citing the project's impact on agricultural land and the livelihoods of farmers and residents.

Speaking in the Assembly, Vijay said Chennai's Meenambakkam airport, operated by the Airports Authority of India, currently has the capacity to handle 30 million passengers annually. He said a new airport was needed given the city's growing requirements, industrial development and rising cargo movement.

However, Vijay said the new airport should be located where the impact on agricultural land and residential areas is minimal.


"I stand firmly with the people protesting against the airport to be established in Chennai's Parandur and 12 surrounding villages," he said.

Also Read:'Dropping Parandur Airport is not change; it's an irreversible setback': MK Stalin, Annamalai question TVK govt over project cancellation

Vijay said he had visited Eganapuram and other villages on January 20, 2025, and heard the grievances of residents protesting the proposed airport at Parandur and surrounding villages.

He said farmers were the backbone of the country and expressed support for those protesting to protect their agricultural land.

Vijay said he had opposed the Parandur airport project at a public meeting in Vikravandi in October 2024, while also stressing his support for industrial development and the role of airports in enabling it.

"However, this project should not be located in Parandur. The government must reconsider this project," he said, adding that an alternative location should be identified where minimum agricultural land is affected and people's livelihoods are not disrupted.

He said the government had held detailed consultations with senior officials and experts on establishing a new airport.

"To fulfill the promise I made to the people that day... the steps taken to establish a new airport in Parandur will be abandoned by this government," Vijay said.

The previous government had received civil aviation clearance for developing the Parandur airport at an estimated cost of Rs 27,400 crore. The project had faced opposition from farmers.

In April 2025, the Civil Aviation Ministry had granted in-principle approval for setting up an international greenfield airport at Parandur in Kancheepuram district.

The state government plans to expand the existing Chennai airport's capacity from 30 million passengers a year to 55 million by upgrading an existing terminal and constructing a new one.

Chennai is a major manufacturing hub, with factories of Hyundai, Renault and Apple suppliers Foxconn and Tata Electronics. Tamil Nadu accounted for roughly 15% of India's factories and manufacturing employment, the highest among states, according to a federal government statement from a year ago.

Industry lobby group Confederation of Indian Industry's southern region chairman Ravichandran Purushothaman said it was critical for the government to swiftly finalise an alternative site and prioritise the project to support Chennai's expanding industrial, manufacturing, logistics and services sectors.

Tamil Nadu signed nearly 100 investment pacts worth Rs 67,452 crore in August, including investments from France's Saint-Gobain, Indian jeweller Titan and US server maker Super Micro Computer.

The decision drew criticism from DMK president and former Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, who called the move an "irreversible setback" to the state's growth.

In a post on X, Stalin said, "Dropping Parandur is not Change. It's an irreversible setback for Tamil Nadu's growth. The announcement made today by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to drop the Parandur International Airport project will set the State's development back by several years. Tamil Nadu's interests cannot be mortgaged for petty political considerations."

Stalin also questioned the manner in which the announcement was made, saying it was made under Rule No. 110 without an opportunity for debate or members to voice their views. He said a world-class airport in Chennai was essential given Tamil Nadu's position in electronics exports and automobiles.

Stalin said the Parandur site had been selected after evaluating alternatives and that the land acquisition process was almost complete, with preparatory work and approvals already undertaken. He warned that identifying another site and restarting the approval process could delay the state's growth trajectory.

Former Tamil Nadu industries minister TRB Rajaa also criticised the decision, calling it an "extremely sad day for Tamil Nadu" and saying years of planning for a greenfield airport had been sacrificed.

Former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai said the cancellation had set the state's development back by at least 10 years, arguing that identifying a new site and securing approvals could take years.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore, however, backed the decision. He said the Congress stand was based on the concerns of farmers and cited the Airports Authority of India's 2022 feasibility report, which had flagged water bodies around the proposed site.

Tagore said the Congress supported the cancellation but wanted the government to make a public, time-bound commitment to identify an alternative site for Chennai's second airport, along with proper social impact assessment and consent from affected communities.


(With inputs from agencies)