The Airports Authority of India has acquired 19.06 acres behind Meenambakkam metro station for ₹278 crore to create additional parking for trucks serving Chennai airport’s cargo terminal, a move expected to reduce roadside vehicle congestion on GST Road.
AI Assets Holding Ltd formally transferred the land parcel to AAI on Monday. The site was previously a residential colony for employees of erstwhile Indian Airlines and includes a stadium that AAI plans to convert into a parking area for vehicles delivering and collecting cargo.
An AAI official said demolition work would be required to create more parking capacity on the property. Three proposals are being examined for developing the full 19.06-acre site, with the airport’s long-term requirements being considered, according to the official quoted by the Times of India.
The acquisition comes as the airport’s cargo terminal handles around 400 tonnes of export cargo and 800 tonnes of import cargo every day. The combined daily volume is nearly 30% higher than last year, increasing pressure on the limited space available for goods carriers near the terminal.
The cargo terminal experiences its heaviest movement between 3pm and 8pm on at least four days a week. Hundreds of trucks are reportedly parked along the roadside because of the shortage of designated parking close to the terminal. Trucks and private buses occupying both sides of GST Road during the evening period have been affecting traffic movement near the airport.
The proposed parking facility is intended to shift these vehicles away from the main road and provide space for trucks waiting to deliver or collect cargo. AAI has not yet finalised which of the three development proposals will be implemented or provided a completion timeline for the facility.
The congestion is also linked to the location and operating pattern of the cargo terminal. The Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority has been urging AAI to move the cargo terminal to the rear side of the airport, an arrangement that it believes could reduce the interaction between cargo traffic and vehicles using GST Road.
The land transfer gives AAI an opportunity to address the immediate parking shortage without waiting for a relocation of the cargo terminal. However, the short-term traffic benefit will depend on how quickly the stadium and other parts of the former colony are cleared, redesigned and brought into use.
The next step is AAI’s evaluation of the three proposals for the 19.06-acre parcel. The authority is expected to determine the development plan after considering the airport’s long-term cargo and vehicle-parking requirements.
