The airport serves as the southern regional headquarters of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for South India comprising the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and the union territories of Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.

The airport serves as a hub for Blue Dart Aviation, a focus city for Air India, and an operating base for IndiGo.

[6][7] He tested it at Island Grounds at Madras, making it the first powered flight in Asia.

[8][9] Further flying displays were performed by a set of aviators including Baron de Caters and Jules Tyck in February 1911.

[10] J. W. Madley, a water works engineer with the Madras government, flew an aircraft he had assembled over the Red Hills reservoir and shot aerial photographs in 1914.

[13] A discussion initiated by pilot G. Vlasto led to the founding of Madras Flying Club in March 1930.

[17] On 15 October 1932, J. R. D. Tata flew a Puss Moth aircraft carrying air mail from Karachi to Bombay's Juhu Airstrip.

Piloted by aviator Nevill Vintcent, it continued to Madras and became the first scheduled flight to land at the airport.

[24] In November 1988, British Airways commenced services to Europe, flying to London's Heathrow Airport with Boeing 747s from April 1991.

[28][29][30] On 23 September 1999, a handling centre for flowers, fruits and vegetables was commissioned at the air cargo terminal.

[21] In May 2005, Delta Air Lines commenced the first direct flights to the Americas, connecting Chennai with New York City via Paris.

[37] In December 2015, unprecedented rainfall associated with India's North-east monsoon caused extensive flooding of the airport tarmac and runways.

About 1,500 passengers and 2,000 airport workers were evacuated as water entered terminal buildings and 30–35 aircraft were stranded on the apron.

[38] Military authorities permitted the use of Naval Air Station INS Rajali in Arakkonam, 70 km (43 mi) west of central Chennai and Tambaram Air Force Station 20 km (12 mi) south as relief airports for a limited service of civilian commercial flights as well as official rescue/assistance flights.

[40] On 5 December, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation permitted a partial re-opening of the airport during daylight hours under visual meteorological conditions only, allowing airlines to ferry stranded aircraft without passengers or cargo on board.

Chennai Airport is owned and operated by the Airports Authority of India and serves as the regional headquarters of the AAI for the southern region of India comprising the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, and the union territories of Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.

[54] The Airport Sector (CISF) provides security, including a dog squad for identification of narcotics and bomb disposal.

[57][58] The plan did not materialise because airport employees, fearing job losses, protested against the move.

[60][71] In January 2018, the airport began cross-runway operations to reduce flight delays.

[74] In January 2024, AAI announced plans to construct 11 new rapid taxi-ways to improve aircraft handling.

[78] The power supply to the airport is provided by Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation through a 11,000 kV sub-station.

[83][84] There is 9,000 m2 (97,000 sq ft) of space at the terminals, consisting of duty-free retail shops, restaurants, snack bars, and executive lounges.

[85] There have been more than 65 incidents of false ceiling collapses and breakage of glass windows reported from the terminals over the years.

The complete new terminal building would be spread over 197,000 m2 (2,120,000 sq ft) and have a handling capacity of 10 million passengers.

[96] The terminal has 100 check-in counters, 11 automated tray retrieval systems, six self-bag drops and six baggage reclaim belts.

A smaller apron (T) located towards the east end of the secondary runway has three parking bays.

[119][120] TajSATS, a joint-venture of the Indian Hotels Company and SATS, provides in-flight catering at Chennai Airport.

[122] The Taj Madras Flight Kitchen, a joint venture of the Indian Hotels, SATS and Malaysia Airlines which started in 1994, operates restaurants at the airport.

[125] The facility can handle one large or two smaller aircraft and functions as a repair shop and assembly area.

[127][128][129] The existing airport is expected to reach saturation by 2035, with a peak capacity of 40 million passengers.