Tamil Nadu government cancels Parandur greenfield airport project

The Tamil Nadu government has dropped the proposed greenfield airport project at Parandur, chief minister C Joseph Vijay announced in the Assembly on Monday. The chief minister, while making announcements under Section 110, said new sites were being considered for the proposed airport and the location would be finalised soon. "Technical feasibility study will be carried out by expert teams," the chief minister said.

The chief minister accused the previous DMK government of choosing a site where a large number of people would have to be relocated, besides affecting agriculture. The chief minister said the TVK government was firm on its stand of not allowing an airport at Parandur. Meanwhile, the government plans to expand the existing Chennai airport on the north-western side by constructing a fifth terminal, which is expected to handle an additional 20 million passengers annually.

Chennai airport currently handles around 30 million passengers a year. With the under-construction Terminal 3 becoming operational, the airport's capacity is expected to rise to 34 million passengers per annum, the chief minister said. The proposed fifth terminal will further augment the airport's capacity by another 20 million passengers annually, he added. Vijay said he had visited Eganapuram and other villages on January 20, 2025, where he met residents and heard the grievances of those protesting against the proposed Parandur airport. "I stand firmly with the people protesting against the airport to be established in Chennai's Parandur and 12 surrounding villages," he said.

The announcement sparked immediate political fireworks in the House. After Speaker J. C. D. Prabhakar denied DMK leader K. N. Nehru permission to respond to the statement, citing parliamentary rules, DMK MLAs staged a dramatic walkout in protest. The opposition slammed the sudden policy U-turn as a severe blow to Tamil Nadu's industrial momentum and global investment prospects.