Tamil Nadu drops Parandur airport plan, eyes new site and fifth Chennai terminal

During an assembly meeting, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay declared that the Tamil Nadu government will no longer pursue the greenfield airport originally slated for Parandur, citing the need to avoid large-scale relocations and agricultural loss. He criticized the former DMK government for selecting that site and affirmed the current administration's opposition to the project. The state will commission expert panels to assess technical feasibility for alternative locations, with a decision expected soon.

Simultaneously, officials outlined plans to enlarge the existing Chennai airport by constructing a fifth terminal on its north-western flank, projected to accommodate an extra 20 million passengers annually. This addition follows the imminent opening of Terminal 3, which will raise the airport’s capacity to roughly 34 million passengers per year. The combined expansions aim to boost the region’s air-travel infrastructure significantly.