CHENNAI: To unlock the economic potential of southern Tamil Nadu further and strengthen the State’s emerging aviation ecosystem, the Tamil Nadu government has floated a Rs 3.97-crore tender to convert the long-unused Chettinad airstrip near Karaikudi into a full-fledged Chettinadu Aeronadu Aviation Hub.

The tender, issued through the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), seeks private participation for infrastructure development works at the facility located in Kanadukathan village of Karaikudi taluk in Sivaganga district. The project, to be executed under an item-rate contract, has an estimated value of Ra 3.97 crore, with a completion timeline of five months from the signing of the agreement.

According to the tender document, the initial phase focuses on essential infrastructure, including site and jungle clearance, formation of over 1.4 km of internal campus roads, borewells and water supply systems, street lighting, and power distribution works. Officials said the objective is to make the dormant airstrip operational as a regional aviation and training hub rather than a commercial passenger airport at this stage.

The State government is actively considering allocating the runway for flying training organisations (FTOs) and drone testing and pilot training, aligning with its broader strategy to position Tamil Nadu as a national leader in pilot training and unmanned aviation. In 2023, an FTO began operations from Salem airport, the first such facility in the State, while the Kovilpatti airstrip is also being readied for similar use. Chettinad would become the third such aviation-focused facility.

Strategically located amid vast tracts of unused land, the Chettinad airstrip’s runway is reported to be structurally intact, despite decades of disuse. The airfield carries historical significance, having been used by the British during the Second World War. In the 1930s, it housed one of India’s earliest flying clubs, and in 1953 served as the primary base of Jupiter Airlines, later operated by industrialist Alagappa Chettiar.

For the Sivaganga–Karaikudi region, the project is expected to generate skilled employment, attract aviation-linked investments, and support allied sectors such as maintenance training, drone manufacturing, and pilot education, marking a measured but business-oriented revival of a historic aviation asset.