Study Finds No Immediate Need for New Airport in Tamil Nadu

A research study released in Chennai on Thursday concluded that there is no immediate case for establishing another major international airport in Tamil Nadu, stating that future proposals should be driven by demonstrated demand rather than projections alone. The findings come amid public debate over the state government dropping the proposed greenfield airport project at Parandur.

According to the report by the Tirunelveli-based Uvakai Research Organisation, the immediate need, scale, and timing of an additional major airport in the state have not been conclusively established by current passenger demand, cargo traffic, or airport utilisation levels. While acknowledging that Tamil Nadu will eventually require expanded aviation infrastructure as its economy expands, the organisation stated that the immediate necessity remains unproven.

Vidhubala E, one of the authors of the study, released the report in Chennai and shared operational figures for the state's aviation sector. The data revealed that the six functional airports across Tamil Nadu have a collective passenger-handling capacity of approximately 48.8 million passengers per annum (MPPA). However, during the 2024-25 period, these facilities handled roughly 29.4 million passengers, which amounts to about 60 percent of their total available capacity.

Addressing Chennai airport specifically, the author noted that the facility handled around 22.4 million passengers in 2024-25 against its existing design capacity of 30 MPPA. The report pointed out that the facility's capacity is expected to rise to a saturation threshold of 35 MPPA once the under-construction integrated Terminal 3 becomes operational.

Vidhubala stated that reaching the 35 MPPA mark should not be viewed as Chennai airport's absolute operational ceiling. The study suggested that overall capacity could be further augmented through operational improvements and planned terminal expansions before considering entirely new airport developments elsewhere in the state.