15 yrs on, Madurai airport expansion in limbo

Madurai: Madurai airport’s runway expansion remains stalled by road diversion, land acquisition and waterbody reclassification issues, 15 years after the plan to extend the runway from 7,500 feet to 12,500 feet was initiated.The delay has kept the airport from adding capacity for larger aircraft and more international services at a time when other tier-II airports in Tamil Nadu have moved ahead with expansion. Airport director P Muthu Kumar said the airport has 1,045 acres, but 89 acres involving two ponds is still in the final stage. A govt order was passed by water resources department before the election, but follow-up action is yet to be completed.Airports Authority of India has completed 13.3km of the boundary wall at a cost of Rs 28.98 crore. Another 2.37 km remains pending because the ring road and village roads passing through the expansion area have to be closed or diverted. The State Highway 235 diversion requires land acquisition in seven villages. Six have been completed, while compensation in one village in Sivaganga district is not over. “The diversion work could take eight months after that process is completed,” Muthu Kumar said.

The expansion has also been delayed by the question of how to handle the ring road alignment. Mahendra Varman of Madurai Infra & Developments said the runway plan was split into two phases — first to 10,000ft and then to 12,500ft. He said an underpass was considered where the ring road cut across the expansion design, but the state govt did not agree to share the estimated Rs720 crore cost. The alternative plan to divert the road is also pending.“Trichy and Coimbatore have improved a lot and even Thoothukudi, expanded six months ago, is growing whereas Madurai is stuck. Madurai remains dependent on limited aircraft types and restricted international access. Madurai, despite its tourism base, is not a point of call in bilateral agreements with ASEAN countries and is currently limited to Colombo,” he said.According to official data, aircraft movements fell from 13,800 in 2024-25 to 13,100 last year, while passenger traffic declined from 13.98 lakh to 13.88 lakh during the period.

Madurai once had Singapore services, but none are scheduled now, leaving Colombo as its only international connection at present.Asked whether Madurai could be included as a point of call in future bilateral air service agreements, the airport director said the matter was before the civil aviation ministry, with industry bodies and Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce also taking up the demand.