Earlier, the airport was known as Meenambakkam Airport. It once served as the final destination of the first flight of Air India. Today, the airport consists of three terminals that also include the ‘new passenger terminal complex’ near Pallavaram. The domestic and international terminals are connected by a building. This building houses administrative offices and a restaurant. There is also a new international block that consists of three aerobridges. The new block is used for departures, while the older building serves as a place for arrivals.
New Plans are being made to expand the airport by including parallel runaway, taxiways, aprons and new passenger terminal buildings. Apart from this, the airport authorities are also planning to expand the existing international terminal and to construct an all-inclusive cargo complex in its premises.
Location of Chennai Airport: Chennai International Airport is situated at Tirisulam at a distance of 7 Km from the south of Chennai.
Domestic Flights served at Kamraj Terminal of the airport: • 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)
• Kingfisher Airlines (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Port Blair, Pune, Tiruchirapally, Trivandrum, Tuticorin, Visakhapatnam)
• 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)
International Flights served by the airport include Air Arabia, Air India, Air India Express, Air Mauritius, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, JetLite, Kingfisher Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines, Thai Airways International and Tiger Airways.
Interesting facts about Chennai Airport:
• It was the First International Airport in India to get ISO-9001-2000 Certification
• First airport to have International & Domestic Terminals adjacent to each other
• First to have aerobridge at Domestic Terminal.
• First to introduce environment friendly paper cups at the Airport
• First to use Domestic Terminal for International flight on wheels.
• First Indian airport to supply free mineral water through designated water coolers at Kamaraj Domestic Terminal & Anna International Terminal.
Passenger Facilities offered at the airport:
• Free Telephone in Security Hold Area
• Free Medical Facility
• Health Scan Facility
• Reserved lounge / Executive lounge
• Railway Reservation Counter
• AAI (IAD) Assistance Counter
• Special Assistance for Physically Handicapped Passengers
• Pre-paid Taxi & Car Rental Counter
• Infant Lobby
• Cyber Cafe
• Video/Phone/Conference Facility
• Duty Free Shop
• Gift Shop
• Travelers Requisite Shop
• Book Stall
• AMBU-Lift Facility
• Tourist Information Counter - Govt. of India
• City Coach Centre
• Free Passengers Trolley
• Retiring Rooms & Dormitory Accommodation for Transit Passengers
• Art Corner
• Auto Vending Machines (for snacks, newspapers, magazines etc.)
• Restaurant
• Exclusive Restaurant for passengers, visitors & staff located in 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
• Pharmacy Shop
• Instant Roasted and Grounded Coffee
Toilets
