Updated 19 October 2026. We re-opened the DT Next, Swarajya, The Federal and Verified.RealEstate reports. The top-ranking news item is a short report on the officer's appointment. This guide adds the acreage and village history, the capacity and timeline figures (and where they conflict), the separate rear-access road proposal, a step-by-step for checking a survey number, and what all this means for homes nearby, with a clear line between what is approved and what is only proposed.

What is approved, what is under way, and what is only proposed

  • Announced by the state: the Chief Minister told the Assembly the Parandur greenfield airport would be dropped and Terminal 5 built at the existing airport with AAI, with an approach road and a flyover (Swarajya, 24 August 2026; DT Next, 1 October 2026).
  • Administrative step taken: a Special DRO has been appointed for land acquisition; his office is likely to be at Tambaram or Pallavaram (DT Next, 1 October 2026). A separate report says an office is expected to work from the Alandur taluk office (Verified.RealEstate, 5 October 2026).
  • Under construction: the Phase 2 expansion, estimated at ₹1,207 crore, was about 45% complete in September and behind schedule; AAI aims to open the new integrated terminal at the start of 2027 (DT Next, 10 September 2026).
  • Proposed, not yet approved: an elevated road from the Tambaram–Porur stretch to the rear of the airport, across the Adyar. AAI has sent the state a detailed project report and is waiting for approval; the state has asked for an assessment of the river's flow in normal, monsoon and flood conditions (DT Next, 28 September 2026).
  • Reported, not notified: the ~217 acres in Manapakkam, Kolapakkam and Cowl Bazaar. No new GO or gazette as of 5 October 2026 (Verified.RealEstate).
  • Recommended in earlier reports: a satellite Terminal 5 on vacant land between the runways, flyovers on the Kovilambakkam–Karappakkam road and an access route via the Chennai–Maduravoyal bypass (The Federal, 15 July 2026). These were proposals at the time of that report.

Where will Terminal 5 be built?

The state says the north-western area of the airport (DT Next, 1 October 2026). An earlier report said AAI recommended a satellite terminal on vacant land between the existing runways, linked to the current terminals, with a second facility proposed in the old VIP zone near Gate 5 (The Federal, 15 July 2026). No site plan for Terminal 5 has been published that we could find. AAI revived the fifth-terminal project in 2024 after it stalled for several years (DT Next, 28 September 2026), and Terminal 5 work is expected to start after the current expansion is finished (DT Next, 10 September 2026).

How much capacity, and when? The figures do not agree

  • Today: about 30 million passengers a year (Swarajya, 24 August 2026).
  • After the integrated Terminal 3: about 35 million (Swarajya); 'more than 35 million' across four terminals (DT Next, 10 September 2026).
  • Government target in July: up to 45 million passengers a year until 2045 (The Federal, 15 July 2026).
  • After Terminal 5: 55 million a year, as the Chief Minister told the Assembly (Swarajya, 24 August 2026); Terminal 5 is reported to add about 20 million (Verified.RealEstate, 5 October 2026).
  • Why it matters: AAI has warned the current airport saturates by 2035 without action (The Federal, 15 July 2026).
  • Opening dates: only the integrated terminal has a target (start of 2027). Terminal 5 has no published opening date.

Which villages are affected? The 217 acres explained

In 2007 the government planned to acquire about 1,070 acres for the airport. About 853 acres were later removed from the proposal, leaving about 217 acres in Manapakkam, Kolapakkam and Cowl Bazaar (Verified.RealEstate, 5 October 2026). The same report notes that removal from the proposal does not necessarily mean land was taken and returned, and that it found a 2018 Kolapakkam acquisition notification and a 2021 order covering Cowl Bazaar lands, but no new parcel-specific notification updating, cancelling or completing them.

No survey-number list for the current exercise has been published. Anyone telling you a specific street is 'in' or 'out' is guessing until a notification appears.

One caution on names: the Kolapakkam in this acquisition is the one grouped with Manapakkam and Cowl Bazaar beside the airport. It is a different place from the Kolapakkam near Vandalur and Perungalathur on GST Road, which is not part of these reports.

How to check if your land or flat is under acquisition

  • Get the survey number and subdivision of the land from your sale deed, the developer's title documents or the patta.
  • Check it against the acquisition schedule and the official land plan showing the affected boundary (Verified.RealEstate recommends this step).
  • Look for any de-notification or release order covering that parcel, and for compensation awards or possession records under earlier proceedings.
  • Ask the Special DRO or the Special Tahsildar for the Chennai Airport Expansion Scheme, in writing, for the current position of that survey number.
  • Pull a 30-year encumbrance certificate from the TNREGINET portal and read it for any acquisition entry.
  • For a new project, ask the developer to show the survey numbers on the TNRERA registration and confirm they are clear. A TNRERA registration does not settle a title dispute (IBC Laws, 12 October 2026).
  • Watch the Tamil Nadu government gazette for any new notification. Until one is issued, nothing has changed on paper.

The rear access road: why GST Road commuters should follow it

Today most airport traffic, including cargo arriving from other parts of the state, comes in from GST Road. AAI's proposed elevated road would link the Tambaram–Porur stretch to the airport's rear across the Adyar, giving a second way in (DT Next, 28 September 2026). AAI says it is ready to start once the state approves. An earlier hydrological study was commissioned from Anna University's Centre for Water Resources; its findings were not reported. Until the state approves it, treat it as a proposal, not a project.

Is it good to buy a flat near Chennai airport?

It depends on what you value, and the expansion cuts both ways. On the plus side, the airport belt is also an office belt: Cushman & Wakefield's South-west office submarket, which includes Guindy, Manapakkam and Ekkaduthangal, had 6.63% vacancy and 7.64 million sq ft planned or under construction in Q3 2026 (Cushman & Wakefield Chennai Office MarketBeat, Q3 2026). Airport and aviation staff are a steady rental pool.

On the other side, check flight paths and noise at the times you would be home, the extra construction traffic during expansion, and flood exposure near the Adyar. Any benefit from the expansion depends on approvals and timelines that are not yet fixed; we do not forecast prices.

Homes near the airport on Property Point

Listings in Manapakkam and Pallavaram. Being near the airport says nothing about any parcel's acquisition status; run the checks above on any home you shortlist.

Related reading

Why Parandur was dropped and what the ring road means: Parandur Airport Status and Chennai Peripheral Ring Road (2026). Our Manapakkam buyer's guide: Manapakkam, Chennai: Buyer's Guide 2026 — Prices, Metro Phase 2, Projects and Risks. How airports tend to affect nearby housing: How Airports Drive Property Prices: A Buyer's Guide. Area pages: Manapakkam, Chennai and Pallavaram, Chennai.