In a significant development, the Tamil Nadu government has shortlisted two sites for Chennai’s second airport and has asked the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to conduct a pre-feasibility study. The move comes nearly a week after Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced that the State government will drop the greenfield airport project planned at Parandur and will look for alternative sites. 

The Hindu was the first to report that two sites—Cheyyur and Gummidipoondi—are the top contenders for the project. It is now learnt that the State government has asked AAI to study Cheyyur in Chengalpattu district and Manellore, near Gummidipoondi, in Tiruvallur district. Sources said that a final decision will be taken after the AAI gives its recommendation in the pre-feasibility report.

A team from Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) has already completed the first round of inspections for both the sites.

Sources said the Cheyyur site is about 40 km from the Puducherry airport and nearly 35 km from Kalpakkam. It is also nearly 100 km from the existing airport at Meenambakkam. The Manellore site is about 50 km from the city and 35 km from Sriharikota.

Sources said that even if AAI recommend one of the two sites, there could be some difficulty in getting the remaining approvals from various regulatory bodies, given the location of both sites. “While there is possibility for Cheyyur, provided the Ministry of Defence gives clearance, since the Indian Air Force, Tambaram, controls the airspace in the region. But Manellore in Gummidipoondi has some challenges,” a source said.

As the next step, a team of AAI officials will visit both sites and carry out an inspection, after which the report will be drafted. It is expected that AAI will submit the report in a few months. “The State government wants to start the process on the second airport soon. It will help if AAI speeds up and gives the report at the earliest,” another source said. 

But another source pointed out that even if the State government wants to build the second airport soon, it may have to wait for a minimum of 5-7 years to make this project a reality.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday (August 24, 2026) announced his government’s decision to drop the proposed airport at Parandur and identify alternative sites for a new Chennai airport. Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, he said a new terminal, Terminal 5, would be developed in the north-western area of Chennai airport in collaboration with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), along with an approach road and a flyover.

The main Opposition DMK sought to sepeak on the issue, but Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar said he would not allow a debate on an announcement made under Rule 110 of the Assembly. Former Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu said he was not seeking to debate the issue but wanted to make a clarification. The DMK members walked out after the Speaker stood his ground.

The Chief Minister said he had consulted experts on the creation of a new airport and a few alternative sites had been identified without causing much damage to farmland and human settlements.

“The site will be finalised after studying the technical feasibility and consulting the departments concerned,” he said, recalling his visit to Parandur in 2025 to express solidarity with the protesting farmers and his earlier announcement at Vikravandi opposing the airport project.

He said Chennai airport was currently handling 30 million passengers a year and that the capacity would increase to 35 million once Terminal 3 was completed. “After the completion of Terminal 5, the passenger capacity will increase by another 55 million a year. It will improve the services and transport facilities until a new airport is completed,” he said.

The Chief Minister said he was fully aware of the role of airports in industrial development but maintained that an airport should not be built at Parandur as it would affect vast tracts of farmland and human settlements. “But the previous government tried to create a new airport at the cost of farmers, their lands and human settlements,” he said.