Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport

Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport
কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম বিমানবন্দর
IATA: RDP – ICAO: VEDG[1]
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL)/Changi Airport Group
Serves Asansol, Durgapur and adjoining areas of Bankura, Birbhum, Burdwan, Purulia, in West Bengal and Bokaro, Deoghar, Dhanbad, Dumka and Jamtara districts of Jharkhand
Location Andal, (Tamla Village and Patsaora Village) Burdwan - 713363, West Bengal India
Elevation AMSL 289 ft / 88 m
Coordinates 23°37′17″N 087°14′36″E / 23.62139°N 87.24333°E / 23.62139; 87.24333Coordinates: 23°37′17″N 087°14′36″E / 23.62139°N 87.24333°E / 23.62139; 87.24333
Website http://www.bengalaero.com/ , http://www.kniairport.com/#
Map
Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport

Location in India

Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16/34 2,800 9,186 Asphalt

Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport (IATA: RDP, ICAO: VEDG), a project under Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL), is a domestic airport (Planned as an International Airport) located at Andal, West Bengal, India. The airport serves the industrial cities of Asansol and Durgapur. The airport is roughly 15 km from Durgapur's City Centre and 25 km from Asansol's City Bus Terminus in West Bengal, India. The airport's hinterland comprises the towns of Burdwan, Bankura, Bishnupur, Purulia, Sainthia, Suri, Bolpur, Rampurhat in South Bengal and Dhanbad & Bokaro in Jharkhand. It is part of the country's first private sector Aerotropolis, being developed by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Limited (BAPL). The airport was officially inaugurated on 19 September 2013[2]

The project was conceived in 2006-07 during the Left Front government. The State Government also has a 1.23 per cent stake through West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation. Singapore's Changi Airports International (CAI) has a 36 per cent stake in BAPL. Other Indian promoters include IL&FS, Pragati Social Infrastructure & Development, Pragati 47, Lend Lease Company India and Citystar Infrastructure. The airport has been built over 650 acres at a cost of Rs 600 crore.[3]

The 5,750 square metre passenger terminal building has a capacity of 1 million passengers per annum and can be expanded in the future to a capacity to 2.5 million per annum. It has six check-in counters with Common Use Terminal equipment (CUTE) in the departure lounge and two baggage conveyor belts at the arrival hall. The terminal has branded retail and F&B outlets, ATMs, a clinic and pharmacy, a baby-care room, Wi-Fi services, a hotel booking counter, convenience store and spa.[4]

The airport's 2,800-metre runway is equipped with a CAT I instrument landing system (ILS) and can handle narrow-body aircraft like Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. The airport apron has four parking bays and a helipad. The airport is equipped with category VI firefighting and rescue capability.[4]

History

The airport received final operational clearance from the aviation regulator DGCA on 24 April 2015.[5] On 10 May 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first passenger to use the new airport when he flew out to Delhi, aboard an Indian Air Force Boeing 737 VIP aircraft, even before commercial airlines started their regular service from the airport.[6] Scheduled commercial operation commenced on 18 May 2015.[7]

Airlines and destinations

Currently no airline operates scheduled service to the airport. Air India ceased its Kolkata-Durgapur-Delhi flight on 15 June 2016.[8]

Negotiations are underway with IndiGo and GoAir for scheduled flights for connecting Durgapur to Delhi. Regional carrier Air Costa may connect the two south Indian cities like Hyderabad and Bangalore for four days a week with Durgapur.[5][9]

ZOOM AIR, a start-up airlines company, based in Gurugram,Haryana, has decided to operate scheduled flights from Durgapur to Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai from September onwards (subject to DGCA approval). The Airlines will have Durgapur as its first port of call.

Airport at a glance

Aerodrome Reference Code: 4C with CAT-I operations (able to handle narrow-body aircraft like Airbus A 319/320 and Boeing B 737-800) Size of passenger Terminal: 5,750 sq m ATC tower and service cluster : 1,857 sq m Runway Length: 2,800 metres x 45 metres (extendable to 3,315 metres) Terminal capacity: 1 million passengers per annum. Airport has a Pre Paid taxi Counter, Buggy Cabs providing AC taxi facility to the passengers to even Dhanbad,Bankura, Birbhum etc.

OLACABS also runs A.C cabs from Durgapur to KNI Airport.

Real Estate

As it is an Aerotropolis, Utsav Parekh, one of the initial promoters of BAPL, said the company will focus on real estate and was holding dialogue with several global real-estate majors from Singapore, Japan and others.[10]

Economic activity

The Total Project Area is approximately 2,300 acres. The Airport occupies 650 acres. Rest of the area will be used for industrial (distribution & logistics centres, office buildings, light manufacturing firms, convention centres, services industries) institutional and social infrastructure and for rehabilitation and common areas. The 10,000 Crores project BAPL estimates the industrial skypark will create around 83,000 jobs.

Distance from Airport

  1. Airport to Kolkata, ( 185 km )
  2. Airport to Asansol, ( 25 km )
  3. Airport to Durgapur, ( 15 km )
  4. Airport to Sainthia ( 73.5 km )
  5. Airport to Bankura, ( 62 km )
  6. Airport to Dhanbad, ( 100 km)
  7. Airport to Bokaro, ( 143 km)

Also, a Pre paid taxi named www.buggycabs.com is available from the airport, providing Pick-up and drop-off facility.

References

  1. ↑ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/bengals-kazi-nazrul-islam-airport-receives-final-regulatory-approval/articleshow/47078805.cms
  2. ↑ "Profile on Kazi Nazrul Islam International Airport". CAPA. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "Rechristened Bengal aerotropolis unveiled". Business Standard. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Aerotropolis to bank on service, not size". The Times of India. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Bengal Aerotropolis Projects gets DGCA nod for airport". Business Standard. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Narendra Modi first passenger to use Andal airport". The Economic Times. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  7. ↑ Mishra, Mihir (18 May 2015). "Air India operates inaugural flight between Durgapur & Kolkata". Economic Times. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "Air India Andal exit unfortunate: Mamata". Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "Country's first private airport likely to be operational by next month".
  10. ↑ "Country's first private airport likely to be operational by next month".
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