After a long hiatus, talks for building a second airport in the city have been revived. Three sites — Sriperumbudur, Pattalam and Cheyyur — are now being considered, sources said. Sriperumbudur was the location first identified for constructing a second airport, but later it was dropped on the ground of insufficient land available.
Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), in a meeting held on Friday, said there had been discussions on the possible location for a second airport for the city.
Nascent stage
“We now have a promoter who has come forward, saying he has about 2,000 acres of land in Sriperumbudur. Technically, we are looking at about 2,000 acres too. Apart from this, two more sites, one each in Pattalam and Cheyyur, too, are in the reckoning. But this doesn’t mean we will curtail it to these sites alone. If there are more, they will be considered too, and the most viable location would be chosen. But we will get a clear picture only if these promoters come forward when the expression of interest is called for by the government. It is at a very nascent stage now,” an official said.
AAI Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra visited the city and reviewed the progress of phase II modernisation of the airport, which includes a new integrated terminal, a multi-level car parking lot and several other air-side developmental works. “We have asked them to speed up the construction of the terminal and the multi-level car park. Work is also on for a few rapid exit taxiways. Once completed, aircraft movement per hour will go up significantly,” he added.
There will also be a consultant for building a tunnel inside the airport, linking it with a satellite terminal.
