A multi-level car park with the capacity to accommodate nearly 2,000
vehicles will come up at the Chennai airport. Work on the project is
expected to begin in a few weeks.

The facility will come up on one
million square feet of space. Besides, a 2.5 lakh square feet mall has
been planned at the car park.

Olympia Group has been given the
project by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), while Larsen &
Toubro (L&T) will carry out the construction.

According to
L&T officials, the car park will be built at both ends of the
Airport Metro Rail station. The structures will be 27 metres tall and
will have six levels.

18 months time

AAI officials said that it would take at least 18 months to complete the project.

“Since
construction is going to start soon, passengers coming and leaving the
airport are likely to face some inconvenience. But when it is finished,
they will not face any parking issues. To generate revenue, we have
planned to build a mall,” one of the officials added.

This project
is estimated to cost Rs. 250 crore and when it is operational, the
facility will be able to meet the demand till 2030. The existing parking
lot at Chennai airport can house 1,200 cars.

The proposal to construct a multi-level car park was mooted in 2010, but it was not carried out for various reasons.

AAI has decided to take it up as part of the airport’s phase II modernisation project.

The
Chennai airport handles about 18 million passengers a year and,
according to AAI estimates, this will increase to 30 million in the near
future.

The mall was added because, according to a study done by
real estate services firm Jones Lang Lasalle, it will provide people
living in areas like Adambakkam, Alandur, Nanganallur, Tirusulam,
Pallavaram and Puzhuthivakkam access to a shopping destination.

L&T will also construct the new airport terminals as part of the modernisation project.

The
old Kamaraj Domestic Terminal has been demolished. Work will start in a
few weeks and the new terminals are expected to be ready in three
years’ time.