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Tamil Nadu Minister for Energy Resources and Law R Nirmalkumar on Thursday, June 18, said the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led state government has decided not to proceed with the proposed greenfield airport project at Parandur in Kancheepuram district and will instead explore an alternative location.
Speaking to reporters after the Governor’s address in the Assembly, Nirmalkumar said the government remained committed to its opposition to the airport project at Parandur while clarifying that it was not against the construction of a second airport for Chennai.
“The first field-level protest of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay was against the Parandur airport project. Our stand remains unchanged. However, we are not opposed to development or to a second airport for Chennai,” he said.
“We cannot support a project that would affect water bodies and fertile agricultural land. Officials and experts will be consulted to identify an alternative site,” the minister added.
The announcement marks the first formal indication from the TVK government that it intends to scrap the airport project proposed at Parandur, around 70 kilometres from Chennai.
The greenfield airport project was announced by the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in 2022 as Chennai's second airport.
The proposed facility was planned across 5,746 acres, including around 2,500 acres of private land and the remaining government-owned land belonging to departments such as Public Works, Highways, Revenue, Rural Development, and Forests.
According to reports, the project is estimated to cost around Rs 27,400 crore, and nearly 1,700 acres of private land had been acquired as of June 2026 from villages in the Sriperumbudur and Kancheepuram taluks.
The project faced opposition from residents, farmers, and activists over concerns including the acquisition of agricultural land, the displacement of more than 1,000 families, loss of livelihoods, and the impact on wetlands and water bodies.
To facilitate the land acquisition, the DMK government had granted the airport "special project" status under the Tamil Nadu Land Consolidation for Special Projects Act, 2023.
On January 20, 2025, Vijay travelled to Parandur to express support for residents protesting against the airport.
After police denied permission for him to visit the protest venue, he met representatives of the agitation near Ekanapuram and assured them of his support.