After a near two-year delay, Chennai airport’s plaza, which will house the second cab pick-up point, has finally received approval and is likely to be opened in two weeks. The facility’s launch has been among the most sought after demand of air passengers for several months now.

Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said they had requested the Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu to inaugurate the plaza, and soon after that, the second cab-pick up point would be made available to air passengers. “The AAI headquarters in New Delhi has given approval for the opening of the plaza and asked us to make preparations for the same,” an official said.

In October 2023, the AAI started beautification work on the space opposite the T1 domestic terminal, creating walkways and seating space for air passengers and visitors. While the deadline to complete the plaza was set for October 2024, its construction was delayed owing to various reasons, and it was finally completed in December 2025.

Cab pick-up point change

Meanwhile, the shifting of the cab boarding point for passengers from opposite the T1 domestic terminal to the fourth floor of the multi-level car parking facility in July 2024 drew a lot of flak. Social media platforms, such as ‘X’, have been consistently flooded with complaints in this regard for over a year now, highlighting that the arrangement to board cabs at the airport was circuitous and tiring.

Vidyasagar J., a frequent flyer, said: “Landing at Chennai airport and taking a cab has been nothing short of a frustrating experience for the past few months. While I’m glad that they are inaugurating the plaza finally, I hope that they don’t delay opening the second cab-pick up point after that.”

Published - August 07, 2026 08:43 pm IST