Chennai Airport News: Terminal 5 Planned Between Two Runways to Boost Capacity
Chennai Airport News
Chennai Airport may get a new Terminal 5 (T5) as part of a plan to increase the airport’s passenger handling capacity. The proposed terminal could help Chennai Airport handle around 55 million passengers every year. The terminal is being considered on an under-used triangular piece of land located between the airport’s two existing runways.
According to airport officials, the proposed expansion can be carried out without disturbing the two runways. The plan could also reduce the need for major land acquisition and relocation of people, making it different from large airport projects that require extensive land.
The idea of developing Terminal 5 has been under consideration for some time. However, the proposal has gained greater importance following the decision to drop the proposed Parandur Airport project.
Parandur Airport was planned as a second airport for Chennai to meet the city’s growing aviation demand. With that project now officially dropped, Chennai Airport may need to find ways to increase its own capacity.
The proposed T5 could therefore become an important part of Chennai’s future airport expansion plans. By using land already available within the airport area, authorities could potentially increase capacity without major disruption to surrounding communities.
Although the Terminal 5 proposal has gained momentum, airport officials indicated that the project may still take considerable time. The immediate focus remains on the expansion of Terminal 3 (T3).
The T3 expansion is currently an important part of Chennai Airport’s development programme. Once the ongoing priorities are addressed, technical studies and planning for T5 can progress further.
Officials have not yet finalised the cost of the proposed Terminal 5. A detailed estimate can only be prepared after technical studies, detailed design work and the necessary approvals are completed.
One of the key features of the T5 proposal is its proposed location. The terminal could be built on a triangular parcel between Chennai Airport’s two runways.
Officials believe the location could allow the airport to expand while keeping the existing runways operational. This would be important because runways are among the most critical parts of an airport and any major disruption could affect flight operations.
The proposed development could also require relatively limited land acquisition and relocation compared with building a completely new airport.
If developed as planned, Terminal 5 could help Chennai Airport increase its overall passenger-handling capacity to around 55 million passengers annually.
The increase would provide additional capacity for future passenger growth and could strengthen Chennai’s position as an important aviation hub in South India.
However, the project is still at the planning stage. Technical assessments, detailed designs, cost estimates and regulatory approvals will be required before construction can begin.
With the Parandur Airport project dropped, the proposed Terminal 5 could become an important long-term option for expanding Chennai’s airport infrastructure and meeting the city’s growing air travel demand.
Ajeet Yadav is an aviation enthusiast covering airline news, airports, aircraft, and industry developments through well-researched and reliable reporting.
