Second airport near Chennai need of the hour, says TN govt

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Friday said the proposed Rs 20,000-crore airport at Parandur near here was the ''need of the hour'' as it has been planned to meet a number of objectives including achieving the State's ambitious USD 1-trillion economy target.

Amid reports of opposition among the locals against the 4,700-acre project, the government said the city was losing out to Bengaluru and Hyderabad due to lack of a second airport.

Referring to a recent interaction with a trade body, an official release here said the representatives batted for the need for the second airport, although the idea had been in the pipeline for 24 years.

''Due to the congestion in the Meenambakkam airport in the city, cargo transaction has shifted to Bengaluru airport. Similary, Hyderabad airport has also snatched Tamil Nadu's opportunities.'' ''The annual growth of the two airports has grown up to 17 per cent and Chennai airport has lagged behind due to the lack of a second facility,'' it said.

Expansion of the existing airport would not meet the desired results and there were also other impediments in the form of existing structures around it, including a miltary academy.

The expansion of the present airport would result only in a capacity enhancement of 3.5 crore passengers annually from the existing 2.2 crore and even this would take 7 years to complete and it would not be able to handle the increasing load, the release said.

On the other hand, the proposed second airport can handle bigger flights, ones that could carry up to 600 passengers and would also lead to direct connectivity to and fro the city to various global destinations.

''Many efforts are being taken to make Tamil Nadu a USD 1-trillion economy. To achieve this target by 2030, many steps have to be taken. As part of that, it is imperative to establish the second airport,'' the release said.

The initiative would reap rich dividends once completed.

While the proposed location is farther from the city, the Metro rail route expansion would be done to meet the demand and this would bring the travel time down to one hour.

''Above all, increased cargo-handling will give impetus to the industry and create more jobs.'' ''It is key to create infrastructure development for Tamil Nadu's industrial growth. On that count, the Parandur airport is the need of the hour,''it said.