₹2,467 Cr Upgrade: Chennai Airport Target Revised to Dec 2026

The Union government has revised the completion deadline for the modernization and expansion of Chennai International Airport to December 2026, citing disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, cyclones, and heavy rainfall.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is implementing the ₹2,467 crore project in two phases. Phase I, which became operational in 2023, included the construction of a new integrated terminal building and increased the airport’s annual passenger handling capacity from 23 million to 30 million passengers. Phase II focuses on the development of Terminal 3, which will further enhance capacity to 35 million passengers per annum.

As of June 2026, AAI had spent ₹1,762.08 crore on the project. In addition, the authority has invested ₹236.75 crore over the last five years in airside infrastructure upgrades, including rapid-exit taxiways, taxi tracks, and link taxiways.

The government stated that Chennai Airport continues to rank as India’s fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic and currently faces no slot availability constraints, with no pending airline requests for slot allocation.

Separately, airport infrastructure projects are progressing across Tamil Nadu. At Tiruchirappalli Airport, the ₹80 crore air traffic control (ATC) tower-cum-technical block project has reached 76% physical completion, while at Coimbatore Airport, work has commenced on a ₹51 crore boundary wall around newly acquired land and a ₹14 crore terminal building modification project.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.