Chennai International Airport is one of the prominent airports in India.

Although low airfare has rendered air travel more accessible and quite well, trains are still the most economical means of transportation. Several airlines fly into Chennai International Airport, the city’s main airport, and provide reduced rates. Chennai Airport was India’s first airport, which is an interesting fact.

Two additional terminals, one of which is a satellite terminal, are being built to accommodate the 40 million passengers expected annually.  Also, a proposal for a brand-new, greenfield airport has been approved. Further, it is predicted that the Tirusulam airport complex would be fully utilized by 2035. Moreover, it is expected to have a peak capacity of 40 million people. Once the new one is operational, both airports will be open.

First test flight in Madras

When Corsican hotelier Giacomo D’Angelis, who lived in the city, created an airplane and tested it in Island Grounds in 1910. It was where the city’s aviation history officially started.   In July 1909, Frenchman Louis Blériot became the first person to fly over the English Channel.  Moreover, D’Angelis built a biplane in partnership with Simpson’s, who was a renowned coachbuilder in the city.  The modest horse-power motor in the biplane was completely constructed from D’Angelis’s ideas. A motor engineer at Simpson’s named Samuel John Green contributed to the biplane’s construction and assembly.

First test flight in Madras

In 1911, a group of pilots arrived to exhibit the aircraft they had brought to India as a marketing strategy. Because notable citizens of the city were interested in flying.   Baron de Caters and Jules Tyck were among the aviators.  Tyck performed a public flight in a Blériot aircraft on February 15, 1911. Tyck was sat inside the airplane, which eight guys wheeled out while he was dressed in an oilskin coat and goggles. The men held the aircraft until the engine fired up, at which point they released it. That caused it to dart around 20 yards ahead before taking off into the air.

History of commercial aviation in India

According to the recourses, the Indian state Air services established the first domestic passenger flight route between Karachi and Delhi.  That was launched in cooperation with Imperial Airways, United Kingdom, in December 1912. Nevertheless, it was an expansion of Imperial Airlines’ London-Karachi trip. The first Indian airliner was Tata Air Mail.

An airplane built by engineer J. W. Madley was tested during a test flight at the Island Grounds in 1914. He flew it over the Red Hills Reservoir to examine the construction while taking a few aerial pictures of the reservoir.

History of commercial aviation in India

First commercial flight

The flight proceeded to Madras via Bellary by pilot Nevill Vintcent on October 15, 1932, when J. R. D.

Privatization

The Indian government has suggested granting a contract to a commercial contractor to manage the airport’s day-to-day functioning. AAI has requested bids for this exact project, and several companies have expressed interest, including Tata, Fraport, Celebi, Sahara, GMR, GVK, and Essar. The airport staff is opposing the decision out of concern for their jobs.

Structure

Chennai International Airport spreads over 1323-acre (44) It is divided into three terminals.

structure of Chennai International Airport

Security

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS)’s primary duties include establishing standards and procedures for the security of civil aircraft at international and domestic airports in India. It has its southern regional office at Chennai Airport.  The Airport Sector, which has a dog squad, is in charge of maintaining airport security. The dogs are taught to detect and sniff out drugs and IEDs. They examine the unattended baggage while collaborating with the bomb disposal team. Now, the CISF personnel in charge of security at Chennai Airport has a dog squad of nine dogs.

Terminals

Terminals

Terminal 1

Chennai Airport Terminal 1 served as the only terminal in this airport until the International “Anna” Terminal opened in 1988. By this terminal, Chennai International Airport is reachable from 20 different domestic places in India. Moreover, there are both internal arrivals and departures.

Terminal 3

This terminal houses foreign arrivals. Terminal 3 in Chennai has connectivity to more than 20 foreign cities.

Terminals in Chennai Airport

Terminal 4

In late 2017, Chennai Airport’s brand-new International Terminal, Terminal 4, formally unveiled its doors. This terminal serves as the departure terminal for all foreign flights that are coming to the Chennai International airport.

Transfer between terminals

Passengers can go between the international and domestic terminals via the bridge, which comprises a flyover travellator to connect both airports. The usage of golf carts for transportation is also possible. Every ten to twenty minutes, a vehicle drives them in. In the second phase of building the airport, the moving walkway will receive renovations. The distance between Terminals 1 and 3 and Terminal 4 is about a kilometer.

Transfer between terminals

Services

Several services are offered by the Chennai International airport. Moreover, if you are in the mood for a meal, there are lots of  Restaurants and cafés at Chennai International airport. That includes The Irish House, Pizza Hut, Subway, Café Coffee Day, Sri Krishna Sweets, Copper Chimney, and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.
Also, there are Conference rooms established in the airport to have professional meetings and conferences in an elegant setting. Moreover, there are Duty-free shops for you to buy anything you want. There are several shops and stores including Pothys, Ramraj Cotton – Chennai Domestic Airport, Pavers England (Chennai International Airport, DA MILANO, and Echolac.

Services

As this airport is connected to the metro, there is Tourist and Railway Information Counters to buy train tickets.Further, there are Currency exchanges and  ATMs located in the airport. Also, several medical and health scan facilities are available at the Chennai International Airport.
You should visit the medical and health scan facilities if you have any medical problems to receive prompt medical attention. In addition, both terminals provide several rooms for child care. a full and private place where you may eat, nurse, and change diapers.

Accidents

Accidents

Due to the subpar workmanship and incorrect planning of the jobs completed during the recent modernization of the airport terminals, there have been several recorded cases of the ceiling collapses as well as broken glass in doors and windows in recent years. A second incident occurred on August 11 when 23 panels behind the check-in desks at the terminal collapsed due to high condensation.