Cholavaram Airstrip

As a military airfield, it was closed due to demobilization and the consolidation of aviation activities post-World War II. Its use as a motorsport venue was discontinued because the Madras Motor Sports Club (MMSC) constructed a new, purpose-built, and safer race track at Irungattukottai, Sriperumbudur, making the makeshift airstrip track obsolete and unsafe for modern racing.

The site is currently abandoned and in a state of disrepair. The two runways are still visible on satellite imagery but are heavily weathered, cracked, and overgrown with vegetation. The land is unfenced and is informally used by locals for learning to drive, and occasionally for unauthorized drag racing or stunt riding. There are no permanent structures or facilities remaining from its operational days. The land remains under government ownership but is largely unused.

Built during World War II by the British Royal Air Force (RAF), RAF Sholavaram was a crucial permanent airfield for the air defence of the Madras Presidency against potential Japanese attacks. It was one of several airfields constructed around the city for this purpose and featured two paved runways. After its military decommissioning, it gained immense cultural significance in India as the 'Mecca of Indian Motorsports'. From 1953 to 1988, the Madras Motor Sports Club hosted the iconic Sholavaram Grand Prix on its runways, attracting racers and enthusiasts from across the country for both car and motorcycle races.

There are currently no active or official plans to reopen or redevelop the airstrip for aviation purposes. Over the past two decades, there have been sporadic proposals to develop it as a second airport for Chennai, a cargo hub, a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility, or an aeronautical university. However, these plans have never materialized. The Tamil Nadu government's focus for a new airport has shifted to a greenfield site at Parandur, making the revival of Cholavaram highly unlikely in the near future.