CHENNAI: The second airport for Chennai is awaiting nod from the Civil Aviation Ministry, which wanted a technical study to be done to finalise the location, according to official sources.
An official told The New Indian Express that the state government had zeroed in on Cheyyar and Parandur for the second airport for Chennai.
It is learnt that the site will be finalised by the Civil Aviation ministry following the technical study which is being undertaken.
This also comes as Chief Secretary has stated in a report that the detailed project report for the second Greenfield Airport will be prepared soon.
"The Detailed Project Report will be prepared after the Civil Aviation Ministry gives it concurrence for the site following the technical study," said the official.
Officials are likely to finalise 4,500 acres in Parandur for the second airport after conducting the technical study.
Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), the nodal agency for developing Greenfield airport, was to decide on the consultant for preparing Techno-economic feasibility report for assisting in obtaining statutory clearances and for conducting bid process management for selection of the developer to develop an airport in Parandur.
The techno Economic Feasibility Report would include survey, masterplan, financial model, mandatory clearances, bid management etc., for the Greenfield Airport site through a consultant.
It is learnt that TIDCO postponed pre-bid exercise which was scheduled in March this year due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The new site for the likely to be proposed second airport is 60 km away from the Chennai International Airport. It was chosen after various locations including Mamandur and Cheyyur in Chengalpet
district and a land near Gummidipoondi in Tiruvallur district were considered.
Chennai airport is expected to get saturated by 2024 as per the traffic growth forecasts. Currently, the existing airport has the capacity to handle traffic of 15 million. However, in the last fiscal year 2019, it touched 22 million.
No Europe connectivity from Chennai
After British Airways flight to Chennai was cancelled following the new Covid strain, there is no direct connectivity to Europe from Chennai International Airport for more than a week.
Air France wanted Chennai to be the fourth gateway in India with direct flight to Paris as the airline plans to expand its Indian network to include the state capital with thrice-weekly direct services to Paris Charles de Gaulle starting October 26.
However, this could not materialise due to Covid-19 scenario and the services were cancelled as of now, said a Chennai Airport source.
Similarly, German airline Lufthansa also wanted to operate flights to Chennai in its October schedule. But things could not work out despite India formalised an air bubble with Germany in July.
"The issue was over the slots and talks failed," said an airport official.
Meanwhile, Centre's decision to resume flights between India and UK from January 8, 2021, from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad will now isolate Chennai from operating any flights directly to Europe.
Flight operations will be restricted to 15 a week each for carriers of India and UK till January 23.
A Chennai Airport official said the decision to not to operate flights from Chennai to London also rests with the state granting its approval. State government officials could not be reached for comment.