Tamil Nadu resumes Chennai's 2nd airport search after Parandur cancelation
After dropping plans for the Parandur airport, Tamil Nadu is once again hunting for a spot to build Chennai's second airport.
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay says several new locations are being considered, but finding around 5,000 acres of mostly nonagricultural land isn't easy in such a busy and developed area.
Airport search shifts to Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu
The search has shifted to Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts: Pannur and Padalam have emerged as two possible choices among the locations being discussed, though Padalam has considerable population and agricultural land in the region, and land acquisition could mean displacement of residents or loss of farmland.
Tiruporur was also among the locations considered, but its proximity to the Kalpakkam nuclear complex could make it unsuitable for a major airport.
Other places like Vallathur, Thodur, Cheyyar, Maduramangalam, and Mappedu are also being discussed.
Aviation safety consultant Mohan Ranganathan suggests thinking outside the box by reclaiming land from coastal backwaters, citing airports in Singapore, Male, and Hong Kong as examples of large-scale aviation infrastructure developed through land reclamation, to help solve space problems and consider airspace, flight paths, environmental factors, and future expansion.