Air India SATS pitches Rs 200 cr for logistics park in Bengaluru airport

Bengaluru: Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited (AISATS) launched a new logistics park at the Kempegowda International Airport, the airport services management company announced on Tuesday.

The park has been constructed with an initial investment of Rs 200 crore, and is spread across 8 acres. A two-level main warehouse offers 2.4 lakh square feet (sf) of space.  It also offers another 11,000 sf for importers and OEMs to securely store and manage their cargo shipments under Customs bond, plus 24,000 sf for an office block.

More investments in infrastructure may follow, said Kelvin Seow, Chief Commercial Officer at AISATS, at a press conference.

“This is one of our biggest investments that we have made outside of Singapore. As we build the partnership, we have decided to invest even more into the Bengaluru airport. This new investment of ours will be the sixth significant investment that we have made in Bengaluru,” stated Bob Chi, CEO, APAC Gateway Services of SATS, at the launch event.

The Worldwide Flight Services cargo terminal in Bengaluru has already started expanding, he added, with plans to double the capacity of this facility. This cargo logistics park may soon require more land, as well.

The park focuses on small and micro enterprises, mentioned Seow. Some of the large enterprises already on board are FedEx and DHL. The facility is equipped to handle 3.5-5 lakh tonnes of cargo.

AISATS' next such project will be at the Noida International Airport, he added.

Responding to a DH query on government support required, he said, “It takes both hands to clap. First of all, there must be a demand in the clusters around those airports. There is also infrastructure that is available to enhance the cargo movement in that particular location that is upcoming.”

The new park in Bengaluru will have 120 trained staff.

The terminal 1 at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on Thursday. DH Photo B K Janardhan