Parandur Airport Row Deepens as DMK Warns of Economic Setback

Chennai, August 24, 2026; The political dispute over the proposed Parandur Greenfield Airport intensified on Monday after former Tamil Nadu minister and DMK MLA Thangam Thennarasu criticised the state government’s decision to abandon the project, warning that the move could have wider economic consequences for Tamil Nadu.

Thennarasu argued that Parandur had been selected only after examining various technical possibilities, including the feasibility of developing two runways. He maintained that the proposed site remained the most suitable location for a second airport serving Chennai.

According to the DMK MLA, abandoning the project could affect the state’s industrial prospects and encourage businesses to consider neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. He cited the loss of the proposed Hosur airport as an earlier setback and cautioned that further delays in airport infrastructure could influence future industrial investment decisions.

Thennarasu also questioned the government’s position on land already acquired for the project. He said compensation had been paid to affected landowners and pointed out that land acquired under the Land Acquisition Act is intended to be utilised for the purpose for which it was acquired.

The issue also triggered a protest inside the Tamil Nadu Assembly, with DMK members staging a walkout after alleging that they were not given an opportunity to raise the Parandur airport issue in the House.

Chief Minister Joseph Vijay, however, defended the decision to discontinue the steps taken for the Parandur project, citing concerns over agricultural land, residential areas and the livelihood of local communities.

Addressing the Assembly, Vijay said Chennai‘s existing Meenambakkam airport has the capacity to handle around 30 million passengers annually, making another airport necessary in view of rising passenger traffic, industrial expansion and cargo requirements.

At the same time, the Chief Minister said the new airport should be developed at a location where the impact on farmland and populated areas is kept to a minimum. He recalled visiting Eganapuram and other affected villages in January 2025 to hear the concerns of residents opposing the Parandur proposal.

Vijay said his government would honour its commitment to the protesting communities and discontinue the steps taken to establish the airport at Parandur. He stressed that his opposition was specific to the proposed location and did not mean opposition to airport-led industrial development.

The Parandur project had received in-principle approval from the Union Civil Aviation Ministry in April 2025 for development as an international greenfield airport in Kancheepuram district.

The contrasting positions of the state government and the DMK have now placed the future of Chennai’s proposed second airport at the centre of a fresh political and economic debate.