CHENNAI: The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has put forth the requirement of 133 acres of land, and an additional 60 acres for road connectivity, for expanding Chennai airport, said the airport director, Dr Sharad Kumar.
He said the proposal was placed before Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) after a joint inspection of available land sites. This comes after Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, last week, highlighted the need for acquiring 200 acres to make Chennai the hub of civil aviation after New Delhi and Mumbai.
Initially, AAI and TIDCO conducted a joint survey of six land parcels for the expansion of Chennai airport in order to meet the demands of 55 million passengers per annum (MPPA). The AAI has requested the Tamil Nadu government to acquire 306 acres to build an international terminal and cargo terminal on
the other side of Adyar river.
However, TIDCO officials said the acquisition is not possible as the land cost is high and a lot of families will be affected. Following this, a revised proposal for 138 acres was sent. A senior government official said the state government is examining the proposal and working out solutions on what best could be done. It is learnt apart from the government land, there is also private land which has to be acquired for airport expansion.
The second phase of modernisation of Chennai airport is likely to be completed by December 2024. This will enhance the capacity to 35 million passengers. The airport requires additional apron bays for aircraft to handle the projected 55 million passengers. Currently, Chennai airport, one of the largest airports in India, is functioning in 1,317 acres of land, the smallest when compared to other major airports in India.
Meanwhile, TIDCO has extended the deadline for submitting bids to select consultants to prepare the Detailed Techno Economic Report for the Greenfield Airport in Parandur for the second time to February 27. Initially, the tender was floated by TIDCO to select the consultant by January 6. This was further extended to February 6.