Parandur Airport News: Tamil Nadu Drops Airport Project as CM Vijay Backs Protesters
Parandur Airport News
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has announced that his government will drop the proposed Parandur airport project near Chennai. The decision comes after years of opposition from local residents and farmers who raised concerns about the impact of the airport on agricultural land and water bodies.
The proposed greenfield airport was planned in Parandur, in Kancheepuram district, around 70 km from Chennai. The project had been planned as a major new airport for the Chennai region. However, the proposal faced strong protests from people living in and around the proposed site.
Chief Minister Vijay said that his government would abandon the steps taken to establish the airport at Parandur. He also said that he would stand firmly with the protesters who had opposed the project.
Vijay recalled that he had spoken against the airport proposal as early as October 2024. At that time, he had said that airports were important for industrial development but should not be built at the cost of farmers’ welfare.
According to Vijay, the latest decision is also linked to a promise he made to people during his earlier political campaign. He said the government would fulfil that commitment by dropping the Parandur airport project.
The airport proposal had faced opposition mainly because of concerns about agricultural land and local water resources. Protesters argued that the project could affect multi-crop farmland and water bodies in the region.
After coming to power, the Vijay government had already indicated that it would review the location selected for the proposed airport. In June, TVK leader CTR Nirmal Kumar said a detailed review was underway to explore alternative locations.
The government said that the review was aimed at finding options that could protect fertile agricultural land and local water bodies.
The Civil Aviation Ministry had granted in-principle approval for the Parandur airport project in April 2025. The proposed airport was expected to become an important part of Chennai’s future aviation infrastructure.
However, the state government’s latest decision means the project will not move forward at the proposed Parandur site.
The decision has also triggered a political dispute between the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and the Opposition DMK. The DMK government under former Chief Minister MK Stalin had initiated the proposed airport project.
DMK leader Duraimurugan challenged the Vijay government to make the project-related files public. He said that if the Chief Minister did not open the files within a week, the Opposition could consider moving a privilege motion in the Assembly.
The political disagreement is now expected to continue as both sides debate the reasons behind the project and the government’s decision to abandon it.
For now, the Parandur airport proposal has been dropped by the Tamil Nadu government, with the Chief Minister maintaining that protecting farmers, agricultural land and local water resources remains a priority.
Ajeet Yadav is an aviation enthusiast covering airline news, airports, aircraft, and industry developments through well-researched and reliable reporting.
