Chennai International Airport - History

History

The history of civil aviation in India dates back to December 1912, with the opening of the first domestic air route between Karachi and Delhi by the Indian state Air services in collaboration with the Imperial Airways, United Kingdom. However, it was just an extension of London–Karachi flight of the Imperial Airways. In 1915, the first Indian airline, Tata Sons Ltd, started a regular airmail service between Karachi and Madras without any patronage from the government, marking the beginning of air transportation in the southern part of India.

Madras (Chennai) had one of the first airports in India and was the final destination of Air India's first flight from Bombay (Mumbai) via Belgaum in 1954. The airport was built on land donated by the former governor of Madras Presidency, L. Sriramulu Naidu. Although the first aircraft "Puss Moth" landed in Chennai Airport in 1932, the usage was confined to military operations until during the 2nd World War. In 1952, the Civil Aviation Department took over its operations followed by the IAAI in 1972. The Air Cargo Complex was commissioned in 1978. The first passenger terminal was built at the northeast side of the airfield, which lies in the suburb of Meenambakkam due to which it was referred to as Meenambakkam Airport. A new terminal complex was subsequently built at Tirusulam, further south near Pallavaram to which, passenger operations were shifted. The new domestic terminal was commissioned in 1985 and the international terminal was commissioned in 1989. The old terminal building is now used as a cargo terminal and is the base for the Indian courier company Blue Dart. The new international departure terminal was commissioned in 2003.

In 2001, Chennai Airport became the first international airport in the country to receive ISO 9001-2000 certification.