The story so far: Four years after it was announced, one of the most anticipated and controversial projects for Chennai city, the second airport proposed at Parandur, has now been scrapped by the Tamil Nadu government.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced in the State Assembly on August 24, 2026 that the government would drop the project and look for an alternative site to build Chennai’s second airport.
The existing Chennai airport at Meenambakkam handles 30 million passengers a year.
With the ongoing construction of Terminal 3, which will also handle international flights along with Terminal 2, the airport’s capacity will increase to 35 million passengers a year.
If Terminal 5 is also completed, the airport’s capacity will rise further to 55 million passengers a year.
The story so far: Four years after it was announced, one of the most anticipated and controversial projects for Chennai city, the second airport proposed at Parandur, has now been scrapped by the Tamil Nadu government. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced in the State Assembly on August 24, 2026 that the government would drop the project and look for an alternative site to build Chennai’s second airport.
Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India will construct Terminal 5 in the northwestern area of the airport, which passengers will be able to access via an elevated corridor. The existing Chennai airport at Meenambakkam handles 30 million passengers a year. With the ongoing construction of Terminal 3, which will also handle international flights along with Terminal 2, the airport’s capacity will increase to 35 million passengers a year. If Terminal 5 is also completed, the airport’s capacity will rise further to 55 million passengers a year.
