The much-awaited commissioning of the secondary runway, along with the extended length covering the bridge over the Adyar river, is expected to take place by March-end.

Senior airport officials said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has completed its part of security study and is awaiting permission and clearance from the directorate general of civil aviation.

Chennai airport director E.P. Hareendranathan said the AAI has completed the safety study and the Central industrial security force (CISF) that manages the security at the airport, would be posted near the Adyar bridge.

“The bureau of civil aviation security (BCAS) is also studying various means of providing security to the secondary runway,” he added.

Additional Chennai airport director H.S. Suresh said the primary runway badly needs milling work on both sides of the touchdown.

“We need the availability of the secondary runway to schedule re-carpeting or temporary milling work in the touchdown areas in the primary runway,” he added.

At present, the Chennai airport is closed for two hours in the afternoon on Tuesdays and Saturdays for runway maintenance work.

The secondary runway was closed in 2009 to extend it over the Adyar river, thereby increasing the runway length by 1,400 metres to about 3,445 metres.

But airport sources said only about 2,160 metres of the secondary runway would be operationalised as there will be 330 metres permanent displacement at GST road side and 780 metres displacement at the other end.

“We have to live with the obstructions till the state government hands over more land on the other side of the runway,” said Mr Suresh.

The restricted length of the secondary runway would be enough to operate Airbus-320 series and Boeing-737 without load penalty.