Why the plan to build a parallel runway at Chennai airport never took off
Nearly two decades ago, the AAI had planned to construct a parallel runway for the airport in a bid to enhance capacity and reduce congestion. However, at that time, the State government had plans to build a second airport for the city at Sriperumbudur and this was one of the reasons why it was shelved
The Tamil Nadu government has been aiming to boost the handling capacity of Chennai airport to 55 million passengers annually. However, a plan to build a parallel runway at the airport never materialized. In the past, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had proposed constructing this additional runway to alleviate congestion. At that time, the State government had also actively pursued a plan to develop a second airport in Sriperumbudur, which further influenced the decision.
The AAI project entailed acquiring land in several locations, including Kolapakkam, Manapakkam, and Gerugambakkam. Local residents opposed the plan due to these land acquisition concerns. AAI officials noted that while implementing such a plan was feasible two decades ago, the increasing number of developments surrounding the airport has made it significantly more challenging today.
"The number of obstacles and habitations have gone up substantially," an official explained. Another official added that numerous obstacles still remain in the approach path of the secondary runway, preventing the plan from being fully realized.
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