Parandur Out, Manellore or Cheyyur In: Vijay Government Shortlists Two Sites for Chennai’s Second Airport

Tamil Nadu has moved within a week to identify alternatives for Chennai’s second airport after abandoning the controversial Parandur greenfield project. The Vijay-led government has shortlisted Manellore and Cheyyur and recommended both sites to the Airports Authority of India for feasibility studies.

Manellore lies about 60 km from Chennai, while Cheyyur is approximately 100 km away. The proposed airport would serve the Chennai Metropolitan Area. The government had earlier promised to find a different location after deciding that Parandur should be dropped.

Officials cited water bodies, wetlands, flooding and opposition from local residents. Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar told the Tamil Nadu Assembly that the previous DMK government pursued land acquisition without an environmental impact assessment and the required approvals. He also disputed the DMK’s claim that 90% of the project had been completed.

Kumar said the Parandur airport would require 5,846 acres, including 3,774 acres of private patta land. Of that private land, 2,681 acres consisted of fertile agricultural land, he said. Government land accounted for 1,972 acres, including 1,558 acres of water bodies and canals. Only about 1,802 acres, or 48% of the required land, had been acquired, and acquisition had not begun in several villages, including Ekanapuram, Karai, Thandalam and Siruvalur.

Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay said nearly 55% of the land earmarked for Parandur comprised water bodies and wetlands. He argued that this could make runway operations unsafe and raise the risk of severe flooding. The proposed project, initiated by the previous DMK government in 2022, was estimated to cost ₹27,400 crore. Farmers, landowners and villagers, particularly in Ekanapuram, staged prolonged protests, while environmental groups also opposed it. The decision to abandon the project drew criticism from the opposition DMK.