By IANS
Kolkata : Singapore’s Changi Airport International has been selected the technical partner for an upcoming airport in West Bengal’s Durgapur industrial region.
The greenfield project, being built by Bengal Aerotropolis Project Ltd (BAPL), will also be India’s first privately owned airport.
The airport at Andal, 190 km from here in Burdwan district, will be a part of country’s first “aerotropolis” (airport city) comprising an airport, an industrial zone, an IT park and a township.
Officials from both the companies signed the agreement here Wednesday in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.
Under the Technical Service Agreement (TSA), Changi Airport will look after the planning, construction and training of airport staff.
Eugene Gen, senior vice president Changi Airport International, said: “We will share our knowhow of airport management with Bengal Aerotropolis Project.”
Having accumulated over 250 awards, Singapore Changi Airport is recognised as one of the best airports in the world. It is a major aviation hub in the Asia Pacific region.
BAPL director Partha Ghosh told reporters that the airport would be built in an area of 700 acres, with an investment exceeding Rs.5 billion ($125 million).
After land acquisition is completed through West Bengal Industrial Development Corporarion (WBIDC), it would take 30 months to complete the project, he added.