The Parandur greenfield airport near Chennai, costing Rs 20,000 crore, that would be built on about 5,000 acres of prime farmland swarming with waterbodies, appears to have become a matter of prestige. Let us look at the arguments put forth in its favour.
First, it is argued that the existing airport at Chennai has the capacity to handle 22 million passengers per year and this will be enhanced to 35 million in 2028. In 2008, the Chennai airport came third in terms of passenger growth and now is fifth, behind Bengaluru which has moved to the third spot. Its cargo traffic growth is also less than that of Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Second, TN government says it will take eight years for an airport to be operational. By 2035, the new airport will be able to handle 100 million passengers, a need to which the existing airport cannot cater.
Third, there are many practical difficulties in expanding the Chennai airport, as it would require over 300 acres of additional land. Fourth, there are several economic benefits to the new project: Every Rs 100 spent on air transportation will generate revenue worth Rs 325. The new airport will pave the way for new runways and can make Chennai an airline hub.
Fifth, the proposed greenfield airport would be able to provide inclusive growth to the State once it becomes operational. The new airport would be a ‘milestone’ in the government’s vision of reaching USD 1 trillion economy. Finally, we are behind Bengaluru and Hyderabad (airports), which are growing faster, so capacity expansion is urgently required.
Gravamen of these arguments is that Chennai is falling behind Bengaluru and Hyderabad and propping the metropolis up with an ultra-mega airport will bring about inclusive development and prosperity for the entire Tamil Nadu by achieving the dream of USD 1 trillion economy. Do these arguments justify spending Rs 20,000 crore and destroying 5,000 acres of fertile farmland, which is difficult to come by? Certainly not.
First and foremost, Chennai is not Tamil Nadu, but merely a part of it, congested by concentrating all industrial and job-creating activities in an exploitative and discriminatory manner. This has resulted in a double-whammy by forcing migration from small towns and rural hinterland that is leading to unseemly urban sprawl and climate disaster in the State’s capital. Besides, concentrating all big infrastructure in one city will not lead to “inclusive development” and the USD 1 trillion economy thus created would benefit only a small part of state’s population. There would be no decentralised and distributed development which is essential for sharing prosperity.
This jealous feeling about Bengaluru and Hyderabad is unbecoming of the Tamils who believe in the universal dictum, yaadhum ooore, yavarum kelir (all places and all people are our own). Besides, these two cities are land-locked and have no access to the ocean, which is nature’s great gift to Chennai. The three seaports on the shores of the metropolis give it an unbeatable competitive advantage.
Coming back to the argument that the Parandur airport can act like an airline hub for South Asia: this is easier said than done. No airline is big enough in India to operate the hub-and-spoke system, which is the backbone of present-day international aviation networks and marketplace because of its greater efficiency and profitability. It, therefore, has to be airport-based.
For the passengers, hubs facilitate extensive route networks, streamlined operations, and lower fares. By all accounts, the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru fits the bill. During 2021, nearly 19% of traffic at this airport (metro-connectivity) comprised of transfer passengers mainly to and from Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, and Goa.
Chennai is less than 30 minutes flying distance from Bengaluru. The geographical location of this city is also conducive to non-metro connectivity in Tamil Nadu to Coimbatore, Tiruchy, Madurai, and Thoothukudi, all within a convenient flying time of 60 minutes. The Tamil Nadu government would do well to upgrade these airports instead so that ‘development’ could be just, inclusive, and disbursed in a fair manner rather than concentrated at one place.
Footnote is a weekly column that discusses issues relating to Tamil Nadu
M G Devasahayam is a former IAS officer and urban governance expert