Runways The airport has two runways – the long primary runway 07/25 (Northeast – Southwest orientation) and the long secondary runway 12/30 (Northwest – Southeast orientation). The runways are equipped with CAT-I
Instrument Landing System (ILS) for
IFR approach with
Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) landing aids. An upgraded ILS was installed on runway 07/25 in 2017. As the airport is not equipped with a
CAT-III landing system, which will enable operations in poor visibility conditions, disruptions in flight operations happen in poor weather conditions. In 2012, the AAI acquired additional land to install new landing lights and upgrade the ILS. The secondary runway (12/30) was closed in 2009 to extend it over the
Adyar River by means of a bridge over the watercourse at a cost of . The runway which was initially long was planned to be extended to . The expansion was completed in March 2011. The bridge over the Adyar river accommodated the runway and a taxiway, making Chennai airport the first international airport in India to have a runway across a river. The commissioning was delayed due to work on
landing lights and
VOR antenna. In February 2012, airport authorities announced that only about of the secondary runway would be operational due to displacements at both ends and the runway which was earlier used by only smaller aircraft, would be able to accommodate
narrow body aircraft. The layout consists of a long taxiway (B) and a shorter taxiway (R) parallel to primary runway 07/25 and parallel taxiway (N) oriented along the secondary runway 12/30. Two taxiways (P and Q) linked the two runways. Apart from the primary taxiways, other secondary taxiways interconnect the runways, main taxiways and parking aprons. In January 2018, the airport began cross-runway operations to reduce flight delays. In May 2023, a rapid exit taxi way was added from the threshold on the primary runway 07 and another taxi way linking the main apron. This reduced the runway occupancy time and helped with the plan to increase in flight handling capacity from 36 to 45 flights per hour. In January 2024, AAI announced plans to construct 11 new rapid taxi-ways to improve aircraft handling.
Passenger terminals The airport occupies an area of with the passenger terminals located in
Tirusulam in
Chengalpattu district. , the airport consists of three operational passenger terminals with Terminals 1 and 4 catering to domestic traffic and Terminal 2 handling international traffic. The power supply to the airport is provided by
Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited through a 11,000 kV sub-station. Terminals 1 and 4 have three levels with the departure area on the top level with an elevated corridor, which has approach and exit ramps. The arrivals section is on the ground level, which also serves as the base for airlines and other offices. The basement is used for luggage handling. Terminal 1, which can handle 16 million passengers per year, covers , has seven gates, 52 check-in counters, and eight counters for e-ticketing. Terminal 4 which was originally built to handle international operations, covers an area of and is capable of handling 7 million passengers per year. Both the terminals are equipped with an in-line
baggage handling system and security screening system with four departure conveyors of a length of and can handle 1,200 baggage pieces per hour. There is of space at the terminals, consisting of duty-free retail shops, restaurants, snack bars, and executive lounges. There have been more than 65 incidents of false ceiling collapses and breakage of glass windows reported from the terminals over the years. {{Multiple image As a part of expansion plan unveiled in 2018, a new integrated terminal and a satellite terminal were planned to increase the terminal area to with a capacity of 35 million passengers, up from then existing capacity of 18 million. The satellite terminal near the secondary runway is connected to the main buildings by a long tunnel built at a cost of . The new integrated Terminal 2 replaced the older Terminals 2 and 3 which were situated between Terminals 1 and 4. It commenced partial operations on 7 July 2023. The new terminal is designed with the inspiration from
Tamil culture, with the building's exterior inspired from
Dravidian Architecture of
Hindu temples and the roof inspired from pleats of
sari worn by
Bharatanatyam dancers. The flooring and the false ceiling feature
Kolam patterns and colourful murals. With the new integrated terminal opening in May 2023, the old Terminal 3 was demolished to extend the new integrated terminal (Terminal 2). This second phase of construction involved the expansion of the existing terminal by . The complete new terminal building would be spread over and have a handling capacity of 10 million passengers. The terminal has 100 check-in counters, 11 automated tray retrieval systems, six self-bag drops and six baggage reclaim belts. It is equipped with a passenger flow monitoring system (PFMS) that helps in management of passenger operations.
Cargo complex The air cargo complex at the airport was established in 1978, with regulatory and facilitating agencies brought under one roof for faster processing and clearance of international cargo. The air cargo complex covers an area of and is operated by AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company (AAICLAS), a subsidiary of AAI. The cargo complex consists of two divisions, namely, the export and the import wings. The export facility covers an area of and the import facility is spread across . The cargo complex is equipped with
Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) for efficient storage and easy retrieval of cargo and operates fully mechanised Elevated Transfer Vehicles (ETV) for faster and easier cargo loading and unloading. The complex also has temperature-controlled cold storage for perishable cargo, and secured storage rooms for high value cargo. As only a limited number of flights could be handled at the existing cargo complex, plans to build an integrated cargo handling terminal to increase the capacity to 0.3 million tonnes per annum was announced in early 2024.
Parking bays The airport has 90 parking bays including 18 in-contact bays connected to the passenger terminals. The main apron (A) located to the south of the primary runway and the parallel taxiway B accommodates 33 parking bays including 11 parking bays that can accommodate
wide body aircraft. Two aprons (Aprons II and III) are located between the two runways. Apron II can park 36 narrow-body aircraft and Apron III can accommodate 12 wide-body aircraft including one parking bay that can park an
Airbus A380. An automated smart flight guidance system was installed in October 2011 at a cost of . The automated system combines information from tower control, approach control, area control and oceanic control. There are two
radars, a secondary surveillance radar and a terminal radar. As the airport controls one of the four flight information regions in the country, other radar systems in the region are integrated with the ATC at Chennai. In 2021, AAI announced plans to construct a new ATC complex at the airport.
Other facilities The old parking lot at the airport accommodated 1,200 cars. In June 2018, a six-level car park with a capacity to accommodate 2,237 cars was planned in front of the airport on a 4.25-acre plot. Construction began in March 2019, was completed in December 2021 and opened in 2022. In addition, a mall named Aerohub was built. The mall has a cinema multiplex and a 59-key transit hotel facility. TajSATS, a joint-venture of the
Indian Hotels Company and
SATS, provides in-flight catering at the airport. It also manages the airport lounges. Taj Madras Flight Kitchen, a joint venture of the Indian Hotels, SATS and
Malaysia Airlines which started in 1994, operates restaurants at the airport. In 2008, a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hangar was established at a cost of . The facility can handle one large or two smaller aircraft and functions as a repair shop and assembly area. It is equipped with an engineering and training facility and an engineering maintenance conference room. Fire and rescue services at the airport are provided by
Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services in conjunction with AAI. == Future plans ==