CHENNAI: The state has taken a U-turn from its decade-long stand, asking the centre to replace the operator of the Chennai airport. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5, argued the state’s investment ambitions require an airport of a higher standard than the one the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has delivered. The letter calls for a “time-bound decision” to transfer operations, management and future development to a new operator.
The letter, citing AAI data, notes Chennai fell to sixth place nationally in passenger traffic as of April 2026, and has been overtaken by Kolkata. The airport’s terminal capacity stands at 27 million passengers a year - rising to 35 million once the ongoing expansion is complete - yet it handled only 23.01 million passengers in the 2025-26 financial year, barely above the pre-pandemic figure of 22.54 million.
It catalogues operational complaints, including difficulty accessing taxis and public transport outside the terminal, unregulated taxi operations, insufficient parking, poorly maintained restrooms and seating areas, recurring air-conditioning failures, slow baggage delivery, and long queues at security and immigration. It also flags repeated delays to Phase II work on the international terminal, which pushed back planned capacity upgrades.
Cargo growth also lagged, the letter notes. Aircraft cargo movements rose just 6% in May 2026, compared to 14.5% at Bengaluru, according to the letter. On the airside, the letter points to underutilisation: against a declared peak capacity of 36 aircraft movements an hour, Chennai recorded 158,702 movements in financial year 2026 — an average of about 435 a day, split roughly to 320 domestic and 115 international.
Chennai airport director M Raja Kishore defended the authority’s record against a wave of social media criticism, noting the privatisation decision “is a policy decision of the Government of India, in which AAI cannot be a part”.
He said the major complaint centred on the absence of a taxi and pickup point directly outside the terminal, which forces passengers to walk roughly 500 metres to avail of transport. This has now been resolved with the opening of a parking plaza. He argued the criticism is disproportionate, citing internal passenger feedback he described as “100% satisfactory”. Kishore also said staff are “disappointed” that day-to-day operational achievements are being overshadowed by isolated complaints.
Both the AIADMK and DMK governments resisted privatisation for close to 10 years, including when the centre shelved a similar plan in 2016 amid opposition from AAI and others.
Fact file
2013 AAI makes first move to privatise operations and maintenance of Chennai airport
2014 AAI calls for bids to bring in a private operator
2016 Centre shelves privatisation plan
May 2026 Aircraft cargo movement at Chennai grew 6%, compared to 14.5% at Bengaluru
Aug 24, 2026 Parandur airport plan dropped