“Tamil Nadu will eventually require additional aviation capacity as: The wider industry impact

“Rather than allowing aviation infrastructure and future growth to become concentrated around Chennai, the state could pursue a more inclusive model by strengthening its existing airport network,” said the study

Releasing the study report in the city on Thursday, Vidhubala E, one of the authors, said that while the six airports in Tamil Nadu together have a passenger-handling capacity of about 48.8 million passengers per annum (MPPA), they handle about 29.4 million passengers (60%) according to 2024-25 data. Because economic growth and urbanisation are more geographically distributed across the state, the foundation said Tamil Nadu is at an advantage compared to other southern states.

Chennai: Amid the outcry over the state govt dropping the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur and voices that the decision would put Tamil Nadu behind neighbouring states in growth, a Tirunelveli-based research organisation has said future airport proposals for the state should be triggered by demonstrated demand rather than projections alone. The immediate need, timing and scale of another major international airport for the state have not been conclusively established going by the passenger demand, cargo demand or airport utilisation, according to the study out by Uvakai Research Organisation. “Tamil Nadu will eventually require additional aviation capacity as its economy grows, but the immediate requirement has not been established,” said the report. “Rather than allowing aviation infrastructure and future growth to become concentrated around Chennai, the state could pursue a more inclusive model by strengthening its existing airport network,” said the study.

The foundation has called for a detailed assessment of Chennai airport’s expansion potential, including better utilisation of the secondary runway, improvements in taxiway and apron efficiency, air-traffic and navigation systems, peak-hour management and terminal expansion. It also suggested examining adjoining land for cargo, MRO, hangars and logistics activities, potentially freeing up space within the core airport for passenger and aircraft operations. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chennai | Silver Rate in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Petrol Price in Chennai | Diesel Price in Chennai | CNG Price in Chennai | LPG Price in Chennai