CHENNAI: Phase II expansion of Chennai International Airport will be completed in March 2026, said Murlidhar Mohol, Minister of State for Civil Aviation in India in response to the questions raised by MDMK leader Vaiko in Rajya Sabha. The response comes in the wake of Vaiko questioning the delay in completing the airport expansion project.

"The expansion involves the development of Terminal-3, further enhancing the airport's capacity to 35 MPPA. The passenger facilities like additional check-in counters, immigration counters, automatic tray return systems in security check and additional baggage belts are also part of the Phase-II development," Murlidhar said.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) has undertaken the expansion and modernisation of Chennai airport in two phases at a total cost of Rs 2467 crore. Under phase-1, new integrated terminal building has been constructed, increasing the airport's passenger handling capacity from 23 million passengers per annum (MPPA) to 30 MPPA.

The terminal has been operational since July, 2023 and all the passenger facilities are accessible to the passengers, the minister added.