Chennai Airport

Chennai International Airport is located at Tirisulam, 7 km south of Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu, India. The airport has the honor of being one of the largest international gateways into the country and is the third busiest airport in India after Mumbai and Delhi. Besides this, the airport operator as the main air hub of Tamil Nadu. Airport serves more than 25 different airlines. Chennai airport is the second largest cargo hub in the country, after Mumbai. Go through the following lines to check the information on the profile of the Chennai airport.

History

The history of Chennai airport goes back to the 1950s when it was one of the first airports in India. The airport served as the final destination of Air India's first flight from Bombay (Mumbai) via Belgaum, in 1954. Chennai airport was originally called Meenambakkam Airport, because of construction of the first passenger terminal, located on the northeast side of the airfield. The place was included in a suburb of Meenambakkam. Passenger operations were moved to Tirusulam, south near Pallavaram where a new terminal complex was constructed. Currently, the old terminal building is used as a cargo terminal and served as a base for Indian courier firm - Blue Dart.

Outdoor Structures

Chennai International Airport consists of three terminals, which includes the old terminal at Meenambakkam, the new passenger terminal complex located near Pallavaram, which consists of both domestic and international terminals. The domestic and international terminals are connected by a building housing administrative offices and a restaurant. A new international bloc, consisting of three aero-bridges, were added to the airport. The new block is used for departures while the older building serves as a place for arrivals.

Plans

The Chennai International Airport is planning its modernization and expansion. As part of the renovation drive, the airport proposes to include a parallel runway, taxiways, aprons and new passenger terminal buildings, on its premises. To expand itself, the airport will purchase land in nearby areas. Manapakkam, Kolapakkam, Gerugambakkam and Tharapakkam in Sriperumbudur Taluk, the proposed areas where the airport would be expanded. The airport plans to construct a new domestic terminal and expand its existing international terminal. Besides this, the Chennai Airport decided to build an integrated cargo complex at its premises.

Airlines

Domestic (Kamraj Terminal)

Air India Regional (Delhi, Visakhapatnam)

Indian Airlines (Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Madurai, Mumbai, Port Blair, Trichy, Trivandrum)

Indigo Airlines (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune)

Jet Airways (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Madurai, Mumbai, Pune, Trivandrum, Visakhapatnam)

JetLite (Delhi, Mumbai, Visakhapatnam)

Kingfisher Airlines (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Port Blair, Pune, Tiruchirapally, Trivandrum, Tuticorin, Visakhapatnam)

Paramount Airways (Ahmedabad, Agartala, Bangalore, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Madurai, Pune, Trichy, Trivandrum)

SpiceJet (Ahmedabad, Bagdogra, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune)

International flights (Anna Terminal)

Air Arabia (Sharjah)

Air India (Dammam)

Air India Express (Abu Dhabi, Colombo, Dubai, Hyderabad, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Singapore, Trichy, Trivandrum)

Air Mauritius (Mauritius)

British Airways (London-Heathrow)

Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong)

Emirates (Dubai)

Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi)

Gulf Air (Bahrain)

Indian Airlines (Calicut, Cochin, Colombo, Dubai, Goa, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Mumbai, Muscat, Sharjah, Singapore, Trichy, Trivandrum)

Jet Airways (Brussels, Colombo, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, New York-JFK, Singapore)

JetLite (Colombo)

Kingfisher Airlines (Colombo)

Kuwait Airways (Kuwait)

Lufthansa (Frankfurt)

Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur)

Oman Air (Muscat)

Qatar Airways (Doha)

Saudi Arabian Airlines (Jeddah, Riyadh)

Singapore Airlines (Singapore)

Sri Lankan Airlines (Colombo)

Thai Airways International (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Dubai)

Tiger Airways (Singapore)

First credited Chennai Airport

First International Airport in India to get ISO-9001-2000 Certification

First airport to have International & Domestic Terminals adjacent

First to have aero bridge at Domestic Terminal

First to use the Domestic Terminal for international flights on wheels

First to provide free mineral water through designated water coolers at Kamaraj Domestic Terminal & Anna International Terminal

First to introduce paper cups at the Airport to make it environmentally friendly

Passenger Facilities

Free Phone in the Security Council holds

Reserved lounge / Executive lounge

Railway Reservation Counter

AAI (IAD) Assistance Counter

Special assistance for physically disabled passengers

Prepaid Taxi & Car Rental Counter

Infant Lobby

Art Corner

Free Medical Facility

Passengers Free Trolly

Retiring Rooms and Dormitory Accommodation for transit passengers

Health Scan Facility

Auto-vending machines (for snacks, newspapers, magazines, etc.)

Restaurant

Exclusive restaurant for passengers, visitors and staff of the link building

Entertainment Televisions

STD / ISD

Vending machines for tea / coffee and cold drinks

Snack Bar Counter

ICICI / Indian Bank ATM counters

Foreign Exchange Counters

Shop Pharmacy

Instant Roasted and Grounded Coffee

Toilets

Cyber Cafe

Video / Phone / Conference Facility

Duty Free Shop

Gift Shop

Travelers Requisite Shop

Book Stall

AMBU-Lift Facility

Tourist Information Counter - Govt. in India

City Coach Center