KNI Airport Forms the Part of India’s First Aerotropolis

KNI Airport is the country's first own Greenfield Airport terminal, which is having a city connected as well as its facilities managed under it. Inaugurated in September 2013 the airport terminal which initially had experienced some obstacles, today is on its path to take-off. The Airport exists at Andal, a small town near Durgapur, West Bengal. Until now, it is a domestic flight terminal however it has strategies to turn out into an international one in the future. The airport can manage about one million travellers in a year and the same can be extended to a capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year in near future. The airport holds some food and beverage outlets, retail outlets, Wi-Fi solutions, ATM counters, baby care facility, drug store, convenience store, a spa, and also a hotel booking counter. It has two conveyor belts for baggage transportations and also has six check-in counters with great additional facilities been installed therein. BAPL developed an old airport at Andal, into a commercial airport, which is spread at an area of 600 square kilo meters. The total cost of developing it came to about Rupees six hundred crores. 

Talking of the world’s scenario, in an Aerotropolis, when the hundreds of thousands of daily flyers get added on a regular basis, the populations of many gateway airports become larger than most medium sized cities. BAPL not only build a 600 acres airport but also formed a skycity right into the heart of the Durgapur. This skycity named Sujalaam was aimed at people who work and live around this industrial town. It had many high rise apartments, entertainment centres, business hubs, schools, colleges, universities and multi-speciality hospitals. Mr Partha Ghosh gave Durgapur what it owed after having the Aerotropolis city introduced. He planned the Sujalaam Skycity in a way where it met all the expectations of a perfect Aerotropolis. 

The Managing Director Mr Partha Ghosh, of Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited has given this Aerotropolis project its position that it long deserved. Other than the airport, the project also has a great residential complex called Sujalaam Skycity. The Airport has office buildings, hotels, a theme park within its premises. Airport management is planning further development of offices, hotels, shopping centres and possibly convention facilities on a large tract near its passenger terminal. 

The lower floors of Skycity provide a big retail centre, including a screen theatre. Above this is Class-A office space with a big floor area. Future stages are supposed to be having a business park, hotels and leisure and entertainment facilities to be developed. Mr Partha Ghosh states that very soon, the Sujalaam skycity is supposed to see all the other amenities of a modern Aerotropolis.

Author’s bio: Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited is a famous infrastructure company. Its duty is identifying and developing Aerotropolis projects in India. Mr Partha Ghosh has let Bengal Aerotropolis project reach new heights. Mr Partha Ghosh also helped with a plan to let people have affordable housing at the newly constructed Sujalaam skycity.