Chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday announced the scrapping of the second Chennai airport project in Kancheepuram’s Parandur , four years after his predecessor, M K Stalin, announced it in August 2022, about 60km west of Tamil Nadu’s capital, with an estimated cost of ₹ 20,000 crore and an annual capacity of 100 million passengers. Stalin’s announcement raised concerns over the ecology and the threat to water bodies in Parandur.
Earlier reporting noted: CM Vijay says plan for 2nd airport for Chennai at Parandur to be dropped, new location to be proposed The Tamil Nadu government has officially announced that the proposed plan for a second airport for Chennai at Parandur will be dropped. He cited the growing needs of a developing city, passenger convenience, industrial development, and the need to increase cargo transport for establishing a new airport. He added there would be more access roads and flyovers. Vijay underlined that the new airport should not affect farmers on a large scale. He added that it should not also displace a large number of people. “I had expressed my support to the farmers who have been protesting against this project. Farmers are the backbone of the nation, and these people were protesting to protect their agricultural lands,” Vijay recalled. Parandur, located about 60km from west of Chennai, has seen long-drawn protests against the airport proposed by the previous MK Stalin government. He also slammed the previous DMK government for picking the largely populated area.
He said the existing airport at Meenambakkam has capacity to handle 30 million passengers annually. Vijay told the state assembly that the Chennai airport in Meenambakkam will be expanded with a new passenger terminal, capable of handling an additional 20 million passengers annually. “After the new Terminal 5 comes into operation, this airport will have a total handling capacity of 55 million passengers per year. Vijay said he visited Parandur in 2025 and listened to the grievances of the local people.
Because of water bodies, the land in Parandur was believed to be unsuitable for runways.
Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has said it accords top priority to the environment. “After the ongoing construction work of Passenger Terminal 3 at Chennai [Meenambakkam] airport is completed, it will be capable of handling 35 million passengers annually,” he said. He said facilities will be enhanced and the traffic managed better until the new airport is constructed. Vijay said the previous government’s proposed location for the airport would have severely impacted farmers and displaced a large number of residents. “I firmly stood with them against the airport proposed to be set up at Parandur and the surrounding 12 villages ,” he said. Vijay cited industrial development and the role of airports in progress and said he fully supports development, but the new Chennai airport should not be in Parandur. “The government will select an alternative site that minimises the damage to agricultural land and does not affect people’s livelihoods,” he said. The new location will be decided after a careful study of technical feasibility by expert teams, he said. Earlier reporting noted: Vijay said the decision to cancel the project was taken to prevent relocation of a large number of people and protect agricultural land in the area.
On Monday, Vijay promised suitable alternative sites for establishing the new airport. Earlier reporting noted: Chief Minister Vijay on Monday said a new airport will be proposed at a location where there is no opposition from the people.
