Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited Launches an Airport at Andal, West Bengal

An Aerotropolis city is one that has its social and economic infrastructures dependent on a nearby airport. BAPL launched such an Airport at Andal, located near Durgapur. It has been developed by Singapore’s Changi Airports International that owns its share in the business venture.

BAPL was conceived in the year 2006. The initial plan was to bring out a new airport using the old available resources. There existed an old airfield that was used by the US Armed Air Forces during the Second World War. BAPL planned to use it as a base for their project and they further developed it into a renewed one renaming it as Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport. The Airport occupies an area of 5,750 square meters and is able to handle Boeing 737 and narrow body aircrafts like Airbus A320. The airport can handle about one million passengers in a year.

Not only did they develop this airport into its commercial form, but they also formed a Skycity and named it ‘Sujalaam’. It is spread over an area of about 1,616 square kilometers. In 2007 the West Bengal State Government re-planned the whole project and initiated plans to redevelop the airport on 650 acres of land. The re-structured plan also included erecting an industrial park, an InfoTech park, a logistics hub, and a supporting township - all within a radius distance of 15 kilometers from the industrial town of Durgapur that has an area of over another 1,650 acres with a total investment of Rs. 12,000 core.

The Asansol and Durgapur belt has a population of about three million. BAPL planned to configure its action plans around few industries that include: 

Locomotives Industry

Iron & Steel Industry 

Aluminum Industry

Coal Mining Industry 

Power Generation Sectors

Mr. Partha Ghosh, BAPL said it is expected that the major units in these sectors will be having a large number of staffs, who may contribute in some way or the other in the overall success of this project. The other catchment area for this total plans is expected from 17 Engineering Colleges, 18 Polytechnic and Management Institutes, and two Deemed Universities. As of the airport revenue generation and to attract more and more passengers, BAPL is offering concessions on landing and parking fees, which is gaining attentions of many passengers to get along the so called - Partha Ghosh Andal Airport. Besides this, the West Bengal Government also has waived off 100% sales tax on aviation turbine in this Airport. 

Author’s bio: Mr. Partha Ghosh BAPL had a vision to bring out his brain-child plans in to actions and he succeeded in it. Following his standalone contributions to the Airport Development, the Durgapur Airport gets a new name – ‘Partha Ghosh Andal Airport’.

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