MK Stalin on Vijay’s abandonment of the Parandur Airport Project: “Irreversible Setback”

The decision by Chief Minister Vijay to abandon the Parandur greenfield airport project “will set the State’s development back by several years,” according to DMK chief MK Stalin, who called it a “irreversible setback” for Tamil Nadu’s development. This set up a new confrontation between Tamil Nadu’s ruling TVK and the opposition DMK, which just months ago lost the election to the first-time Chief Minister’s party.

In order to preserve the agricultural land and means of subsistence in Parandur and the twelve nearby villages, Chief Minister Vijay declared before the Assembly on Monday that plans to build a new airport there will be shelved. In April 2025, the Parandur Greenfield Airport received in-principle clearance from the Civil Aviation Ministry.

“Dropping Parandur is not Change. It’s an irreversible setback for Tamil Nadu’s growth. The announcement made today by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to drop the Parandur International Airport project will set the State’s development back by several years. Tamil Nadu’s interests cannot be mortgaged for petty political considerations,” Stalin said in a long post on X.

The Tamil Nadu Assembly saw a political uproar shortly after Vijay’s announcement. After Speaker JCD Prabhakar refused to allow them to address the cancellation, MLAs from the opposition DMK organised a walkout. Stalin, who lost his own seat in the Tamil Nadu elections, said it is quite concerning that a statement of this magnitude was made under Rule No. 110, excluding any chance for discussion.

“An announcement of such far-reaching importance being made under Rule No. 110, shutting out any opportunity for debate or even for members to voice their views, is deeply troubling. Tamil Nadu leads the country across sectors, from electronics exports to automobiles. A world-class airport in its capital is not merely desirable, but absolutely essential. Rejecting such a vital project is not change. It is a massive disappointment,” he said.

He said the property acquisition was nearly finished, with multiple rounds of preliminary work and approvals done, and the site was carefully chosen after weighing all available options. The former Chief Minister further stressed that Vijay’s announcement is nothing short of “jackpot for competing states”.

Stalin further said that it will be a big blow for employment dreams of the youth in the state. “Without industrial growth, economic targets of one trillion USD or 1.5 trillion USD are simply impossible to achieve. Taken without foresight, planning or consultation, this decision by the TVK government is a devastating blow to the employment dreams of Tamil Nadu’s youth,” Stalin said.

One of the biggest and most ambitious infrastructure projects in Tamil Nadu was to be the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur. The enormous airport was built to accommodate Chennai’s long-term aviation needs, with a maximum capacity of 100 million people annually. Vijay expressed his opposition to the project if development “comes at the cost of nature” when he visited the Kancheepuram protesting villagers in January 2025 to offer his support.

Local farmers and activists have been protesting nonstop since the Rs 27,000-crore project was launched by the previous DMK administration in 2022. Nearly half (47.6%) of the 5,369 acres designated for the project are productive, irrigated farmland that produces three crops annually.

Vijay has promised not to overlook Chennai’s aviation requirements. He stated that the state will soon unveil a comprehensive plan for a new airport at a different location in addition to immediate plans to expand the current Chennai airport.