Aviation minister Naidu outlines larger transformation plan for Chennai Airport

Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu on Sunday outlined a larger transformation plan for Chennai Airport, including expansion of passenger capacity, a planned Terminal 5 and a stronger focus on passenger experience.

He said Terminal 5 is now in the planning stage and, with a planned capacity of around 20 million passengers annually, could take Chennai Airport’s overall capacity to approximately 55 million passengers. A new ATC technical block is also being planned.

Speaking virtually at the inauguration of the passenger pick-up plaza at Terminal 1, Naidu said the airport’s ongoing modernisation, involving an investment of around ₹2,500 crore, is expected to raise its annual passenger-handling capacity from about 20 million to 25 million.

The work on the new terminals is expected to be completed by April 2027. Naidu said the expansion was necessary as Chennai Airport handled around 23 million passengers in 2025, compared with 13 million in 2013-14. He described Chennai as one of the country’s flagship airports and said the Centre would give greater focus to its transformation.

Located about 30 m from Terminal 1, the passenger pick-up facility is intended to ease the difficulties faced by arriving passengers, particularly elderly travellers and families, who earlier had to walk to the multi-level car park to access cabs.

Minister Naidu said Digi Yatra registrations at Chennai Airport had risen to about 35 per cent from around 12 per cent a year ago. He said the ministry would also introduce QR codes across the airport to collect passenger feedback and use it in future planning, stressing that passengers should be treated as the major stakeholders in the airport’s transformation.