Chennai airport plans Terminal 5 after Parandur project scrapped

Chennai airport is planning a Terminal 5 that could add 20 million passengers per year, taking total capacity to about 55 million, after the Tamil Nadu government officially dropped the Rs 27,400 crore Parandur greenfield airport project. The proposed terminal would sit on an under-used triangular plot between the airport's two runways, requiring minimal land acquisition, officials told The Hindu Businessline. A 5.32-km elevated corridor along the Adyar River would connect it to Tambaram and Maduravoyal, pending clearances from the Water Resources Department and environmental authorities.

Parandur was scrapped after Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, who had earlier supported protesters opposing the project on environmental and displacement grounds, formally announced the decision on August 24. The government has acquired 1,802 of the required 3,874 acres of private land but has not taken possession, raising the question of returning it to owners or repurposing it, The Hindu reports. The Law Minister said alternative projects would be implemented on the acquired land. Aviation expert Mohan Ranganathan cautioned that the area between the runways is low-lying and prone to flooding, which could submerge the airport during heavy rains.