Special meeting in two weeks to grant approval for Parandur airport, says Civil Aviation Minister

As Chennai’s second airport coming up in Parandur awaits in-principle approval, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said on Thursday (February 27, 2025) that a special meeting would be held in New Delhi within the next two weeks to grant the approval.

As Chennai’s second airport coming up in Parandur awaits in-principle approval, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said on Thursday (February 27, 2025) that a special meeting would be held in New Delhi within the next two weeks to grant the nod.

“Parandur airport has been under discussion for quite some time now. The site clearance was sought first, and we gave the approval for it. The second stage is the in-principle approval, and the State government has sent the application. We have done a thorough consultation on the same. In a week or two, we will hold a special meeting in New Delhi and are going to give the approval after due process,” he said.

Mr. Naidu further said that the Chennai airport was not going to be privatised. “This [existing] airport is close to our heart. We want to better the services ourselves,” he said, after reviewing the ongoing modernisation work at the airport.

The Chennai airport has been receiving flak on social media, with passengers facing various issues ranging from cab pickups to maintenance. Addressing this, Mr. Naidu said, “One of the main reasons for my review is to learn more about these issues. Because, for passengers, that is the priority. Any small issue flagged by the passenger is going to be taken up seriously,” he said.

When asked how private airports like Bengaluru have more connectivity to destinations in many parts of the world, including Australia and Europe, and whether Chennai was losing out on this front, he said: “Chennai airport is going to be a very important airport for the ministry.”

“We will do what is necessary to improve the operations and air connectivity, internationally. We feel there is a lot of potential here. We have to speak to the airlines. If there is a lot of demand for Europe, we are going to sit with the airlines and propose to them to start connections there,” he said.

Mr. Naidu also noted that it was difficult to remove the existing obstacles in the approach of the second runway at the Chennai airport and said the authorities were trying to streamline the operations in both runways.