Facing uncertainty: During the M.K. Stalin government, 1,700 acres of land was acquired, and site clearance and in-principle approval were obtained for the Parandur airport. FILE PHOTO FILE PHOTO
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With the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur now off the table, the search for Chennai’s second airport is back on the agenda, with Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts emerging as the likely focus areas.Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay told the Assembly on Monday that the State government had identified a few potential sites for the airport, but did not disclose their locations.Eyeing 5,000 acresSources said the government would need nearly 5,000 acres of predominantly non-agricultural land to develop a full-fledged greenfield airport.Finding such a large contiguous parcel close to Chennai is expected to be a major challenge, particularly given the extent of urbanisation and agricultural activity in the region.Though the government has maintained secrecy over the sites under consideration, real estate and industry sources have begun speculating on several locations.Pannur in Sriperumbudur and Padalam in Chengalpattu have emerged as two possible choices among the locations being discussed.Tiruporur was also among the locations considered, but its proximity to the Kalpakkam nuclear complex could make it unsuitable for a major airport, sources said.Other locations that have figured in earlier discussions include Vallathur, Thodur, Cheyyar, Maduramangalam and Mappedu.Feasibility surveyPadalam and the surrounding Chengalpattu-Madurantakam region had previously been examined for airspace and land feasibility for an airport. The region was also identified by the previous DMK government for a proposed 2,000-acre Global City project. With the airport search now restarting, that project could potentially be put on hold if the area is selected for aviation infrastructure.However, Padalam faces a challenge similar to Parandur, with considerable population and agricultural land in the region. Acquiring a large contiguous parcel without significant displacement of residents or loss of farmland could therefore prove difficult, said sources.Aviation safety consultant Mohan Ranganathan suggested that the government should also examine the possibility of developing an airport on reclaimed land in the backwaters between East Coast Road and Old Mahabalipuram Road.He pointed to airports in Singapore, Male and Hong Kong as examples of large-scale aviation infrastructure developed through land reclamation.“Site selection has to take into account not just land availability but also airspace, flight paths, environmental factors and future expansion,” he said.According to him, the process from identifying a suitable site to commissioning the first flight could take nearly five years.Published on August 24, 2026
