A file photo of officials inspecting at Parandur Village for Greenfield Airport project at Kancheepuram district
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B
Chennai will finally get its second airport, located at Parandur, after the Centre gave its clearance for the construction of the project, sources told businessline.
The implementation of the airport project now rests with the concerned airport developer, including the State government.
Two-stage approval
The land acquisition for construction and other activities can start with the greenfield airport about 70 km west of Chennai crossing the second stage of the Centre’s Greenfield Airports (GFA) policy by getting an ‘in-principle’ approval. The GFA prescribes a two-stage approval process that includes ‘site clearance’ followed by ‘in-principle’ nod.
A replica of the airport at Parandur called Chennai Greenfield International Airport (file photo)
| Photo Credit: JOTHI RAMALINGAM B
“We are hopeful that in-principle approval for this greenfield airport project will bring in enhanced connectivity and spur further economic activity in the region,” sources said.
The project received the approval after deliberations were held on the proposal between the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), along with agencies like IMD (India Meteorological Department) and other ministries such as Home and Defence.
Besides, the second stage involved evaluation upon considering the detailed project report (DPR), including a techno-economic feasibility study.
In the last couple of years, MoCA has given ‘site clearance’ to seven airports proposed to be built at Mandi, Himachal Pradesh; Kottayam, Kerala; Puri, Odisha; Doloo, Assam; Parandur, Tamil Nadu; Kota, Rajasthan; and Raichur, Karnataka.
At present, State governments propose locations for constructing greenfield airports, which are then inspected by various government bodies, including the Airports Authority of India (AAI), to determine the technical feasibility of the project.
Furthermore, after the receipt of the ‘in-principle’ approval, the developer takes care of the airport project implementation, including funding among other aspects.
Greenfield airports
Under GFA, the Centre has given ‘in-principle’ approval for the setting up of 21 greenfield airports in Mopa in Goa; Navi Mumbai, Shirdi, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra; Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan, and Shivamogga in Karnataka; Dabra (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh; Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh; Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat; Karaikal in Puducherry; Dagadarthi, Bhogapuram, and Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh; Durgapur in West Bengal; Pakyong in Sikkim; Kannur in Kerala; and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.
Of these, 12 greenfield airports, including Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar, Itanagar, Mopa, and Shivamogga, have been operationalised.
Currently, India has around 159 operational airports, including both brownfield and greenfield facilities.
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Published on April 8, 2025