“Any large land acquisition will inevitably face farmer and environmental challenges, but these concerns must be balanced against the state’s development interests,” Mehul H Doshi, President, CREDAI CHENNAI, said.
Also read: Parandur airport project dropped: CM Vijay
“Connectivity remains central to Chennai’s growth story. However, we have slipped to sixth position in passenger traffic, with Kolkata overtaking us,” he said.
Peer cities are moving decisively on aviation infrastructure Bengaluru and Hyderabad continue to expand and plan additional airport capacity, while the Delhi-NCR and Mumbai regions have added new airports alongside their existing ones, Doshi noted.
Chennai has historically competed with these cities for investment, industrial relocation and talent, and sustained momentum on airport infrastructure will be important to protect that competitive position, he said.
Also read: Chennai undeniably needs a second airport: CII
One positive outcome of today’s announcement is that the uncertainty has finally been lifted. With Parandur now off the table, Doshi said.
CREDAI Chennai urged the government to fast-track the selection and finalisation of an alternative site without delay.
It also welcomed the interim step of expanding Meenambakkam, including the proposed new terminal capacity, but cautioned that this expansion has severe constraints.
CREDAI Chennai urged that the Meenambakkam expansion be treated as a complement to — and not a substitute for a clearly time-lined plan for identifying and developing Chennai’s second airport.
