The Phase 2 expansion of Chennai International Airport is progressing at a rapid pace, with efforts being made to prevent further delays.According to the revised deadline, the second portion of the new integrated terminal is expected to be completed by early 2026 and operational for passengers by March of the same year.
In 2023, then Civil Aviation Minister V K Singh had estimated July 2025 as the probable completion date of the upgraded airport.
But later, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) set a deadline of December 2025, before extending it to March 2026.
The AAI started the expansion process in 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs 2,467 crore to increase the capacity of the airport from the existing 2.3 crore passengers per year to 3.5 crore.
The project spans 2.36 lakh square metres and has been split into two phases