Chennai airport plaza inauguration to be delayed until elections | Chennai News

Chennai: The wait for the second cab pickup point at Chennai airport will get longer as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has deferred the inauguration of the plaza set up in front of the T1 arrival terminal till assembly elections citing various reasons, including the model code of conduct (MCC) and ongoing West Asia crisis.While the Chennai airport authorities were waiting for directions from top officials for the plaza inauguration, crisis in West Asia has shifted the civil aviation ministry’s attention to address key issues such as mass cancellation of flights, stranded passengers in the Gulf region, and management of aviation turbine fuel and LPG crisis. Now, with promulgation of the MCC, inauguration can’t be held, officials said. “It will happen soon after the elections,” said an official said. The plaza was envisaged in 2024 to provide an open waiting lounge with canopy roof to visitors of the airport, and 28.72 crore was allocated. The plaza was scheduled to be opened before Nov 2025. However, the construction began late in 2024 and the cab pick-up point near the flag mast was shifted to the multi-level car parking lot, causing huge inconvenience to arrival passengers, who had to walk long distances or depend on buggies to reach the parking lot.AAI then decided to have a second pick-up point near the plaza, which caused delay in completing the project. Though the plaza and pick-up point arrangement were ready in Dec, AAI delayed inauguration, anticipating legal tussle from the parking contractor.Indian air passengers’ association president A Sankar said the city airport lacks basic amenities such as cloakroom and dormitories. “The baggage room is part of the plaza work, so it would come in handy for hundreds of flyers who like to leave their luggage at the airport to attend quick official work in the city. The second cab pick-up point will be a major relief for passengers exiting T1 terminal,” he said.