Smaller aircraft, particularly ATRs, may soon take off from the Tambaram Air Force station, as the Chennai airport has been increasingly getting saturated.
A mini terminal will be built for passengers to complete the check-in and check-out procedures at the air base.
Officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the plan was under consideration and they would soon start talks with the Air Force authorities to see if it could be executed at the earliest.
“We recently held discussions on this issue. After getting approval from the headquarters, the official discussions will start with the Indian Air Force. If they agree to this plan, it can be implemented as soon as possible,” an official said.
Sources said the plan was feasible if permission and clearances from various authorities were obtained on time.
The plan would be useful as several ATR aircraft, with a capacity for about 70-80 passengers, take off and land at the Chennai airport after the Regional Connectivity Scheme of the Centre kicked off.
The Chennai airport has been growing rapidly and handles around 470 aircraft movements a day and sees a footfall of nearly 30,000 passengers. “At present, we are focusing on the completing the construction of the integrated terminal as part of phase II modernisation. And soon after it is over, we will proceed with building the tunnel and the satellite terminal in the airside area of the airport,” he added.
But even these two might reach its peak capacity after 7-8 years and a second airport is an urgent need for the city.