Readying the ground to soar the skies

The question of whether Chennai’s airport infrastructure is sufficient for its needs, today, and tomorrow, has been discussed for decades here. Expansion and modernisation of the current facilities are ongoing, while the proposal to establish a second airport for the city is still hanging fire. With all indications showing that footfalls at the airport will only burgeon exponentially, experts call for swift action to address the entire range of issues relevant to the airport.

Borders have opened up again, and restrictions on global movement of people have eased; as a result, travellers are returning to airports, ready to pay increasing fares and take to the skies. As the travel rebound makes headway and with India being ranked among the top 50 air travel markets by International Air Transport Association (IATA), the need to expand and be primed to handle massive passenger loads has never been as pressing as it is now.

Chennai’s air traffic, in terms of number, may be far behind other airports such as Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru. But to handle its own rising passenger load, a lot needs to be done.

In May, the airport recorded a 19.2% jump in passenger volume, compared with April. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), a consultancy firm, had said the airport recovered nearly 75% of the May, 2019 passenger traffic; this may increase substantially in the coming months too. But the existing terminals are crammed with passengers even as the air traffic is yet to cross the pre-pandemic levels.

Travel, holiday season and growth aside, this is also a time when Tamil Nadu has set its foot forward on an investment spree, as several memoranda of understanding have been signed with business partners and other nations. Yet, a facility as important as the airport, seen as a gateway for the city, is reeling under the strain and scrambling to handle the increasing air traffic and passenger’s needs for almost a decade. From something as basic as maintenance of toilets, crowd management at immigration counters and security to lack of sufficient slots for airlines, the Chennai airport needs an overhaul.

After the first phase of modernisation some years ago, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) once again pumped in ₹2,500 crore and began the second phase modernisation, which includes multi-level car parking, a new integrated terminal and airside work to fix infrastructure issues and expand capacity.

Though a host of facilities are in the offing, there is no doubt the airport needs to be larger and better managed, sources say. This is because when the whole new integrated terminal is ready, the domestic operations will continue from the existing buildings only (the present domestic and international terminal will function as the new domestic terminal). The international operations alone will take off from the new building. This means there could be a stark difference in comfort and facilities in these two buildings for passengers.

For years now, rumours have been circulating about a possible plan to privatise the airport within a few years, offering the hope that it may bring in much-needed interim relief for passengers. For an even longer period, discussions about a second airport have raised hopes of the people, only to be dampened by a project that has not seen fruition after decades.