Changi Airports International Supports India’s First Aerotropolis Project

Changi Airports International is one of the biggest airports management companies in the world. BAPL while forming the India’s first Aerotropolis at Durgapur took all technical knowhow from this company to finally bring out the project in its final shape. The Aerotropolis at Durgapur has helped change the whole scenario of the aviation sector of West Bengal. Comparing the other states of India, the state of West Bengal has been deprived of many things that constitute the success of industries in a region. So is the position of the aviation sector as well. 

Almost all Indian States have their own governing bodies that control the structural growth of the region. The growth of trade and commerce is fully dependant on the governmental decisions and its policies. In West Bengal the aviation sector suffered a lot until in 2007, when a bill was passed to launch the country’s first ever Aerotropolis, in Durgapur, West Bengal. The concept of Aerotropolis firstly evolved in the USA, when Dr. John. D. Kasarda brought this concept live in some American cities. Dr. Kasarda defines Aerotropolis as an airport city where the revenue as earned by the airport runs the infrastructure and economic growth factors improving the overall performance of that region. 

It was Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL) who structured a plan to bring down the concept as laid by Mr. Kasarda, in India. For this BAPL developed this Aerotropolis project in two phases. In the primary phase, it had plans to develop a sky city in the heart of Durgapur and in parallel to this it indeed developed an ultra-modern airport in a nearby place. The sky city was named as Sujalaam – sky city. It is a huge residential complex that has one of its kind housing projects in the whole of Eastern India. The project has all the features of a modern Aerotropolis as seen in the other parts of the world. 

In the second phase, BAPL developed an ultra-modern airport. It was named after the famous poet of West Bengal – Kaji Nazrul Islam. The airport that was named as KNI Airport or Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport was built of a huge area with all the amenities that a modern Aerotropolis should have. It has a big runway with two air strips. It has two passenger terminals, conveyer belts for transit of passenger baggage, and a grand lobby at the airport’s entrance.  

Mr. Partha Ghosh indeed planned, conceptualised and implemented the total task of developing the Bengal Aerotropolis project in Durgapur city. In a measure to give Durgapur its new renovated airport, Mr Partha Ghosh took support from Changi Airports International to form the so called Andal airport. 

Author’s bio: Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited is an influential infrastructure company. Mr. Partha Ghosh the Managing Director of Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited helped developed India’s first Aerotropolis. With the help and support from Singapore’s Changi Airports International, Mr. Partha Ghosh got the construction work of Andal airport done in specified time.