Published Sep 23, 2026 | 1:45 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 23, 2026 | 1:45 PM
According to the letter, Chennai airport had slipped to sixth position in passenger traffic, behind Kolkata, as of April 2026.
Synopsis: South First can now confirm that Chief Minister Vijay’s letter to Prime Minister Modi has been unsparing in its criticism of the running of the Chennai International Airport by the Airports Authority of India. He has, however, been ‘Left’ alone, with the CPI and CPM joining hands with the Opposition DMK in criticising the request and demanding its withdrawal.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a change in the operator of Chennai International Airport has cited the airport’s poor passenger traffic growth, low aircraft movements and concerns over cargo operations to argue that Chennai was not utilising its existing infrastructure to its full potential.
A copy of the letter dated August 5, 2026 is now with South First.
It urged Modi to give “topmost priority” to entrusting the operation, management and future development of the Chennai International Airport to a competent operator other than the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Vijay highlighted that the Chennai airport had slipped to sixth position in passenger traffic, behind Kolkata, as of April 2026. The letter also said aircraft movement remained below pre-COVID levels while other comparable metropolitan airports had recorded growth.
Vijay said the existing passenger terminal capacity at Chennai airport was 27 million passengers per annum and would increase to 35 million passengers per annum after the completion of ongoing expansion works.
The airport handled 23.01 million passengers during 2025-26, compared with the pre-COVID figure of 22.54 million passengers, according to the figures cited in the letter.
The Chief Minister described the growth as marginal despite the available capacity.
The letter also highlighted the gap between Chennai airport’s declared capacity and actual aircraft movements.
Vijay, citing the E-AIP India AMDT, said the airport had a declared peak capacity of 36 aircraft movements per hour.
During FY 2025-26, Chennai airport handled 158,702 aircraft movements, averaging around 435 movements a day, according to the letter. Of these, domestic movements averaged approximately 320 per day, while international movements stood at around 115 per day.
Vijay said the difference between available capacity and actual utilisation indicated “severe underutilisation” of existing infrastructure and had weakened Chennai’s competitive position among major Indian airports.
The Chief Minister also raised concerns over Chennai’s cargo operations.
According to the letter, cargo aircraft movements at Chennai increased by 6% in May 2026, while Bengaluru recorded 14.5% growth during the same period.
The letter said the figures indicated faster expansion of cargo services at competing airports.
Vijay’s letter lists several shortcomings at Chennai airport, including:
Poor terminal accessibility
Unregulated taxi services
Inadequate amenities and parking
Poor hygiene and maintenance
Inadequately maintained restrooms
Insufficient cleanliness in passenger seating areas
Recurring air-conditioning failures
Inadequate landside infrastructure
Difficulty accessing taxis and public transport
Delayed baggage delivery
Inadequate crowd management
Prolonged waiting times at security and immigration counters
Repeated delays in completing Phase II of the International Terminal.
The Chief Minister said these issues were not merely passenger-service concerns but could also affect Tamil Nadu’s investment and economic prospects.
The letter pointed to Chennai’s automobile and manufacturing sectors, IT industry, industrial ecosystem and tourism potential, arguing that the city required an airport that reflected its importance as a major metropolitan centre.
Vijay said a modern and efficiently managed airport could increase passenger and cargo traffic, strengthen trade and investment, improve regional connectivity and contribute to Tamil Nadu’s economic development.
He therefore urged the Prime Minister to take a firm and time-bound decision on transferring the airport’s operation, management and future development to an operator other than AAI. The CM’s request has drawn criticism from the CPI, CPI(M), DMK and other parties.
The Communist Party of India’s Tamil Nadu unit, which is supporting the TVK government, had already registered its opposition to the proposal to replace AAI with another operator.
CPI Tamil Nadu state secretary M Veerapandian said the Chennai airport was a public asset and an important part of the state’s industrial, trade, tourism and cargo infrastructure.
The CPI said deficiencies at the airport should be addressed by improving passenger services, flight operations, cargo handling and road connectivity rather than handing over its management to a private operator.
The party cited AAI’s own financial data to state that it had recorded a net profit of ₹6,522 crore in 2025-26, while the Chennai airport reportedly generated around ₹492.48 crore in profit during 2024-25. The CPI questioned the need to transfer a profitable public-sector asset to private management.
The party also highlighted Chennai airport’s role in Tamil Nadu’s export-import economy.
According to the party, steps are being taken to acquire 19.06 acres for ₹278 crore to ease congestion at the airport’s cargo terminal. It also referred to a proposed 5.2-km cargo corridor aimed at improving cargo movement.
The party further pointed to the proposal for a fifth terminal, which is expected to eventually increase the airport’s annual passenger-handling capacity to around 5.5 crore passengers.
The CPI argued that these investments should be undertaken under public-sector management and called for greater investment, technology and administrative capacity for AAI.
CPI(M) Tamil Nadu state secretary P Shanmugam had also criticised the reported proposal.
Shanmugam said that if the Chief Minister’s letter sought to facilitate the transfer of Chennai airport to a private operator, the state government should withdraw it.
He criticised the Union government’s broader policy of involving private companies in public infrastructure such as airports, railway stations and ports, and said replacing AAI could facilitate such a process.
Shanmugam also demanded greater clarity from the state government regarding the contents and intent of the letter.
The reported proposal has also drawn criticism from the DMK and other opposition parties. DMK leader and former Industries Minister TRB Rajaa criticised the move to bring in a private operator after the state government dropped the Parandur airport project.
Amid the criticism, Tamil Nadu Law Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar, who spoke to the media, said the proposal should not be described as privatisation.
He said the request was for private participation in the maintenance of Chennai airport to improve facilities for international passengers, rather than transferring ownership of the airport.
The minister said the proposal was intended to improve airport facilities and maintained that the TVK government would not support privatisation of public institutions such as airports, railways and bus terminals if it resulted in higher charges for the public.
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(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
