Airborne!

Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd boasts of two firsts: it is India´s first private greenfield airport and is part of the first Aerotropolis´ in the country. Part of the 2,000 acre of Sujalaam - The Skycity, the 650 acre Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, is the centrepiece of the Aerotropolis at Durgapur in West Bengal. Jointly developed by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) and Singapore´s Changi Airports International, the airport recently completed its calibration (test flight) process. As Partha Ghosh, Managing Director, Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd, tells us, ¨The airport has the potential to transfer the region into a vibrant investment hub ushering at Durgapur in West Bengal.¨ The specs The airport has a structural steel roof with double-layered, rock wool-insulated sheeting and the top sheet is of standing seam 0.6 mm colourbond galvalume. The passenger terminal building has 36 columns of both reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and structural steel. These columns are clad with aluminium cladding panel (ACP). The truss spans between 29 m and 10.5 m. Its span in the other direction are of 16 m spacing, thereby giving ample free space. The airport has a single-storyed passenger terminal building. The air traffic control (ATC) tower has an elevator capacity of 13 passengers. Going green In the airport, storm water is recharged into the ground. There is ample usage of aluminium composite panel (ACP), which is a green building material. Further, the township in the aerotropolis is environment-friendly and aims ¨to preserve and maintain the 67 natural water bodies (measuring 47 acre) within it with zero water discharge or 100 per cent recycling of water,¨ says Ghosh. Glazing glass The structural glazing used in the fascia of the passenger terminal building is double-layered. Here are some key imperatives: The interior lite consist of 13.52 mm heat-strengthened laminated safety glass, consisting of 6 mm thick, clear heat-strengthened glass, 1.52 mm thick, clear polyvinyl butyral (PVB) inter layer, and 6 mm thick, clear heat-strengthened glass with sputtering low e-coating in contact with the airspace. A 12 mm thick airspace separates the interior lite from the exterior lite. The air space is filled with dehydrated air. The exterior lite is 8 mm thick, blue-green, heat-strengthened glass. A polyethylene terephthalate security film is applied to the exterior lite. The overall thickness is 33.52 mm. The Aerotropolis The Aerotropolis project is the master key for the proposed industrial township, which is already taking shape and has components like IT townships, education hubs and a modern logistics centre connecting northeast India and, in turn, boosting commercial relations with China. ¨The Bengal Government has accorded in-principle approval to grant industrial township status to the Aerotropolis in demonstration of its support for the project,¨ states Ghosh. Investments made The airport city has seen some big investments. Shri Shyam Agro is setting up a food processing unit; Ardex Endura (a JV between Germany´s Ardex Group and Prism Cement), a Bengaluru-based adhesive major, is putting up a specialised construction material manufacturing facility; Kim Wah is coming up with a fabrication unit; Mittal Biotech, Auto Distributors, Tetron Merchandise and ASIPL are setting up manufacturing units; and Raj Vidya Kender and Citi Residenci Group are establishing institutional units. Besides these, The Mission Hospital (TMH) of Durgapur is coming up with a 500 bed multi-speciality hospital within the Aerotropolis project. Alchemist Township India Ltd has bought 20 acre in the project where it will develop group housing. The urban planning is being done by renowned Townland Group of Hong Kong while Tata Consulting Engineers will execute infrastructure development and STUP of France will handle road development and traffic planning. This project is certainly set to take off! THE INTEGRATED AEROTROPOLISGreenfield airport Commercial operations (passenger traffic) Cargo movement Airplane repair and maintenance Social infrastructure Housing for SEC A to C Health and educational institutes Hospitality, sports and leisure Commercial and retail centres Industry and logistics Industrial cluster Engineering and technology park Multimodal logistics IT park Project details Location: Andal-Durgapur in Bardhaman district, West Bengal Type: Greenfield Master planner: Townland Consultants, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2521 2911. Fax: (852) 2521 6631. E-mail: tcltd@townland.com Design consultant and route planner: Changi Airport Planners & Engineers (CAPE) Construction contractor: Simplex Infrastructure Ltd. Tel: 022-2491 3481. Fax: 022-2491 2735. E-mail: simplexmumbai@simplexinfra.com Website: www.simplexinfra.com Road development and traffic planning: STUP, France. Tel: +331-46012461. Fax: +331-46012462. Area: Airport covers 650 acre of the total 2,000 acre Completion date: All physical construction work and installations were completed by December 2014 Aerodrome reference code: 4C with CAT-I operations Separation: Distances maintained for category 4E Runway length: 2,800 m + 45 m (extendable to 3,315 m) Taxiway: 252.5 m + 18 m Apron area: Four parking bays for code 4C aircraft Annual capacity: 1 million passengers per annum To share a landmark project with us, write in at feedback@ASAPPmedia.com