Soon, aerotropolis to take shape in city

Soon, aerotropolis to take shape in city
International Airport To Have Malls, Hotels, Business Centres
The TImes of INdia

Bangalore: Soon, Bangalore will be in the same league as Denver, Washington, Dallas, Pittsburgh and London. Bangalore International Airport will go ‘aerotropolis,’ the term used for the best airports in the world.
BIAL’s initiative to develop an ‘airport city’ is in line with the increasing attention being paid to aerotropolises globally. An aerotropolis is a city in which the layout, infrastructure and economy centre around a major airport. This will spur growth and create jobs.
The project is a part of the vision to develop a 215-acre airport city. It will house business and entertainment centres, malls, office space, etc. People will not only come here to travel but also to relax, hold business meetings and shop. Airports are prime office locations at all developed airports, and therefore will work for Bangalore as well.
“The aerotropolis will have hotels, along with destination retail, serviced apartments, office park, software campuses and public spaces, which will make it a truly global enclave,” BIAL chief Albert Brunner told The Times of India.
BIAL has conducted a pre-qualification bid and soon shortlist the tender applicants. The process for the first two larger plots will be completed by this year-end.
As a first step, a star hotel will come within the airport boundary. It’ll be the first airport hotel in India within walking distance of the terminal. The BIAL has selected The Oberoi Group to operate a hotel of competitive scale and standard under the Trident Hilton brand, Brunner said.
The selected consortium, consisting of Larsen & Toubro and The Oberoi Group, is responsible for the design, construction, financing and operation of hotel facilities.
The combined investment committed by L&T and The Oberoi Group is approximately Rs 250 crore. The hotel will comprise 321 rooms, large conference facilities, restaurants and a worldclass spa. It will be operational by November 1, 2008.
Bangalore to be a
cargo hub
The BIAL plans to establish Bangalore as a regional cargo hub. Cargo operations will be handled at international standards and competitive pricing. It has selected its strategic partner for cargo operation. The consortia selected after an extensive technical and financial evaluation process are Air India/SATS and Menzies Aviation/Bobba Group.
They have started construction and are responsible for the design, construction, financing and operation of cargo facilities. The combined investment is approximately Rs 150 crore and the duration of the contract is 20 years.
They will build and operate two state-of-the-art general cargo warehouses for both domestic as well as international cargo.
The combined area for both warehouses is approximately 15 acres with an initial capacity to handle approximately 3 lakh million tones of cargo per year collectively.