“Other States Would Be Advancing, Leaving Us Behind,” Annamalai On Pandur Airport Cancellation

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay’s decision to abandon the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur has triggered sharp reactions from the Opposition, with political leaders warning that scrapping the project without an immediate alternative could delay Chennai’s second airport and affect the state’s growth. Vijay, however, said the government would identify a new site that minimises the impact on agricultural land, water bodies and residential areas.

Annamalai Warns Of Decade-Long Delay

Former BJP leader K Annamalai urged the Tamil Nadu government to begin identifying an alternative site immediately, warning that a fresh airport project could take at least 10 years to become operational.

Annamalai said selecting a new site, obtaining approvals from the Centre and statutory authorities, acquiring land, issuing tenders and securing licences would take several years. He said the decision to abandon Parandur therefore carried a significant “opportunity cost”.

He also argued that Chennai urgently needs a second airport, pointing out that the existing airport at Meenambakkam has an annual passenger-handling capacity of around 30 million.

“Meanwhile, other states would be advancing, leaving us behind,” Annamalai said in a post on X.

Stalin Calls Decision An ‘Irreversible Setback’

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, under whose government the Parandur project was proposed, also criticised Vijay’s decision. He described the move as an “irreversible setback” for the state’s growth and said Chennai urgently needed a world-class airport.

Stalin claimed Parandur had been selected after considering alternative sites and that several preparatory steps, approvals and land acquisition processes had already been completed.

He argued that starting the process again from scratch would further delay the airport and affect Tamil Nadu’s growth prospects, particularly in sectors such as automobiles and electronics.

Former Industries Minister TRB Rajaa also criticised the decision, saying years of planning for a dual-runway greenfield airport had been “sacrificed at the altar of politics”.

Rajaa said Chennai needed an international airport capable of handling large aircraft and operating two parallel runways of more than 4,000 metres.

BJP Questions Lack Of Alternative Site

Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran questioned why the government had abandoned Parandur before finalising an alternative location.

Nagendran said a new site would require fresh studies covering passenger traffic, aircraft requirements, demand and other technical factors. He urged Vijay not to delay the state’s airport expansion for political considerations.

The Opposition has also questioned whether the government has submitted any alternative airport proposal to the Centre.

Why Did Vijay Scrap Parandur?

Vijay announced the decision in the Assembly, saying the Parandur project faced significant concerns over its impact on farmers and local communities.

He said nearly 55% of the land identified for the project comprised water bodies and wetlands, which he argued could make runway operations unsafe and increase the risk of flooding.

The Chief Minister said the government remained committed to developing a second airport for Chennai but would select an alternative location after detailed technical feasibility studies. He said the new site would aim to minimise the impact on agricultural land and residential areas.

Vijay also announced plans for a fifth terminal at Chennai International Airport in Meenambakkam, which is expected to add another 20 million passengers to the airport’s annual capacity. Once ongoing work on the third terminal is completed, the airport is expected to handle around 35 million passengers annually.