Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd. (BAPL) has signed a Technical Services Agreement (TSA) with Changi Airports International (CAI) for the upcoming airport within the Durgapur Aerotropolis (airport city) project. This will be India's first privately owned airport, a part of the $2.5 billion Durgapur Aerotropolis project.

The TSA was signed in the presence of the minister of civil aviation, Praful Patel.

The agreement envisions CAI playing a crucial role in reviewing the master plan of the proposed airport and supervising the execution of the project. It is likely that CAI may also be engaged as a consultant for the operation and management of the airport, which is part of the Durgapur Aerotropolis project.

Under the TSA, CAI will first carry out a detailed review of the proposed airport including a review of the airport capacity, land use plan, passenger terminal layout and development phasing of the air and land side of the airport.

The agreement also involves CAI in conducting training for senior management of BAPL personnel at the Singapore Aviation Academy. The training programs are targeted at introducing senior managers at BAPL to the technical aspects of developing and managing an airport terminal, which is intended to serve an aerotropolis.

Commenting on the alliance, Changi Airports International's chief executive officer, Chow Kok Fong said, ''We believe this will be a promising project which will complement the capacity of the existing aviation infrastructure in West Bengal. We expect the Durgapur Aerotropolis to generate considerable economic momentum for this important region of the country.''

According to BAPL chairman, Arvind Pande, ''Changi was a natural choice for us considering it comes with an enviable track record and stands for the best in terms of experience and technology in this space. This alliance will add momentum to this project of global standards and will definitely help in placing the Durgapur-Asansol region and Bengal on the global aviation map.''

The Durgapur project is India's first Aerotropolis and would include the country's first private airport. The total land area of the Aerotropolis is approximately 950 hectares of which a minimum of approximately 300 hectares will be the used for the Airport. The airport is expected to be functional in next 2.5 - 3 years and would have the ability to handle A320 aircraft.

The total investment in the project will be approximately $2.5 billion (Rs10,000 crore) and is expected to be complete in five years.

The Durgapur Aerotropolis in the Durgapur-Asansol region of the eastern State of West Bengal will involve setting up a greenfield airport, industrial park, logistics hub, IT park with a supporting infrastructure like housing, tourism, healthcare and social interchange facilities.