After being declared a customs airport in 2010, Madurai Airport has finally become an international terminal. The Union Cabinet committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal on March 10. This decision will facilitate operation of flights to international destinations, especially West Asian countries, Singapore and Malaysia, which host a significant diaspora from southern Tamil Nadu.
British era airstrip
One of the oldest airports in Tamil Nadu, Madurai has long been the gateway to the southern districts, until the opening of Thoothukudi Airport in 1992. The airstrip at Madurai which became operational in 1942 was used to fly newspapers from Chennai to Madurai. It became a civil airport in 1952 and began commercial operations in 1957.
With a small terminal building, Madurai Airport was handling only domestic services to destinations including New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. The opening of the massive integrated terminal in September 2010 again boosted demand for international flights. However, the airport was then given the status of a customs-notified airport. That status equipped the airport with modern facilities, such as a 17,560-square-metre integrated terminal that included 36 check-in counters and an aero-bridge.
The first international flight landed in Madurai in September 2012. Colombo became the first international destination to be connected to Madurai with SpiceJet starting its services. Soon, Mihin Lanka offered a service between Madurai and Colombo. Next year Madurai got a direct flight to Dubai.
For a long time only two international flights were in operation. Then in September 2017 came Air India Express with the first direct flight to Singapore. Initially, the service operated four days a week and due to demand became a daily service by March 2018. Abu Dhabi becomes the fourth international destination to be connected to Madurai in 2025.
late night flights
Airports Authority of India (AAI) made Madurai Airport operational 24×7 from October 1, 2024. However, there were not many takers for late night and early morning flights.
However, passenger patronage was increasing and the airport handled 1.39 million passengers, including 0.23 million international passengers, in 2024–25. This forced AAI to undertake several reconstruction projects at the terminal to increase its passenger-handling capacity.
Madurai Airport Director P. Muthu Kumar said the immigration counters were shifted to the first floor and the additional space on the ground floor was used to increase the number of check-in counters from 16 to 28.
Now, there are 16 immigration counters available for international travelers. Flights to three international destinations – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Colombo – are operational after Air India Express withdrew its popular Singapore service. Additional X-ray machines are being installed for baggage scanning.
Meanwhile, AAI has expedited its earlier proposal to build additional terminal buildings. “We are planning an additional terminal building of 10,000 square metres, which will be used exclusively for international passengers,” the airport director said. Acquisition of more than 500 acres of land for runway expansion is in the final stages.
“The demand for international status for Madurai airport was raised even when I was a member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha in 1992-98),” said VV Rajan Chellappa, AIADMK MLA from Tirupparankundram constituency, where the airport is located.
The major reason for Madurai not being able to attract flight services to other international destinations including Kuala Lumpur was the lack of Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA) with other countries.
Senior industrialist S. Rethinavelu, who is leading the demand on behalf of trade and industry representatives, said it has not been met on a nominal basis over the years. “Some political leaders were of the view that the development of Madurai airport would be detrimental to the development of Tiruchi International Airport,” he said.
When the security policy of Indian Airlines came up for discussion, there was a demand to include Madurai Airport in BASA for some destinations. “Then, the central government was of the view that if foreign airlines would land in Madurai, they would usurp all the business opportunities of Indian airlines,” he said.
‘Election stunt’
Virudhunagar MP B. Manickam Tagore, who is also the chairman of the Madurai Airport Advisory Committee, has described the Centre’s decision as an “election stunt”. “Only the name board of the airport has been changed. But other formalities have not been completed to get air connectivity to the desired international destinations,” he said.
Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan to finally address the long-standing demand of the southern districts, Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Thanked Rammohan Naidu.
“We have been demanding this for a long time. Due to the Centre’s adamant stand in rejecting BASA for Madurai airport, airlines like Air Arabia and Fly Dubai, which had shown keen interest in operating international services to Madurai, could not do so,” he said.
He informed that the Center has given three international airports to Uttar Pradesh in just 10 months. “Madurai gets better patronage from international passengers compared to the three airports in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
The trade bodies had also urged the government to include Madurai as a Point of Call (POC) in the list of 18 tourist destinations across India for designated ASEAN carriers under the ASEAN Open Skies Policy. “But the minister had then rejected the demand, claiming it was a one-time policy decision,” Mr Tagore said. Meanwhile, Khajuraho airport was made a POC under the scheme even though it was a domestic airport without any international services, Mr Venkatesan said.
However, Mr. Rammohan Naidu, who unveiled the name board of Madurai International Airport in the city on Saturday (March 14, 2026), said the center will help in bringing international connectivity to Madurai, as it has made the airport operational 24×7 and given it the status of international airport.
Mr. Rethinavelu said bringing Madurai Airport under the ASEAN Open Skies Policy would open the doors for the airport to operate flights to 10 countries – Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. It will boost tourism and pilgrimage activity in Kodaikanal, Courtalam, Rameshwaram, Kanniyakumari and Karaikudi.
“Madurai, home to hospitals providing quality treatment at affordable prices, will become an attractive destination for medical tourism,” he said. Furthermore, it will facilitate further development of the Madurai-Thoothukudi Industrial Corridor.
Big bet on Tamil Nadu
As Tamil Nadu aims to become a trillion-dollar economy by 2030-31, a key marker and force multiplier to propel the state forward will be world-class airports and diversified development in aviation. To keep pace with its goal of distributed development, the state has focused on developing three major airports – Parandur (near Chennai), Hosur and Rameshwaram. Experts say these promising projects can bring Tamil Nadu back into the top three spots in the country’s aviation map.
Until the late 1990s, Madras was the air-connectivity hub of South India. By the beginning of the millennium it started losing its luster. While other metro airports were ready for privatization for efficient operations, expansion of connectivity and adding passengers, plans for a second airport at Sriperumbudur in Chennai were shelved. Over the last four years, the state government has finally caught up.
While Parandur airport will be to Chennai what Kempegowda International Airport is to Bengaluru, the Hosur project will not only boost industrial growth in the region but also attract traffic from Bengaluru. Rameshwaram Airport is expected to improve tourism prospects and promote regional development.
Parandur
The state government is pinning its hopes on this ambitious project which could drastically change the flying experience from Chennai. Announced in 2022, it has so far received site clearance and in-principle approval. The government is gearing up to complete the land acquisition. The ₹27,400 crore project, which will be implemented in four phases, will increase capacity and allow the airport to handle 100 million passengers annually.
While 5,746 acres of land has been earmarked for this project, 1,700 acres of land has been acquired so far. Sources say that a tender will be issued to select the concessionaire. Some top airport private players have reportedly shown interest in the project. The government also needs to accelerate efforts to connect Parandur to the core areas of the city with a mass rapid transit system.
Hosur
Hosur airport could be a game changer for the state betting big on its manufacturing capabilities. Due to its proximity to Bengaluru, a section of Bengaluru residents and businesses can benefit significantly from the airport in Hosur, a manufacturing and electronic hub. But the wait for Hosur will be long and the process of getting approval is unlikely to be easy.
Under the concession agreement of Bangalore International Airport Limited with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, no new airport can start operating for commercial flight operations within a radius of 150 km till 2033, and this stands as the biggest hurdle. But, recently, the Center has said that it will reconsider the existing policy that prevents operation of two airports within a radius of 150 km.
Although the state government was very quick to finalize the site for the Hosur air base in Shoolagiri taluk (between Berigai and Bagalur) and sought approval from the Defense Ministry, the request for the airfield was rejected twice. Sources said the state government intends to pursue this application.
Rameshwaram
Rameshwaram airport project is in initial stage. Although envisioned as a small airport with the capacity to handle Code C aircraft, when the airport is ready in the next 5-7 years, it can strengthen the tourism potential of the area containing iconic and ancient temples. After completing pre-feasibility studies of two sites near Uchipuli and Keelakarai, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has suggested the latter. The state government will select a site in the next few months and will have to acquire about 600 acres of land for the airport.
(With inputs from Sunita Shekhar in Chennai.)
