By 2027, Indira Gandhi International Airport‘s Aerocity will feature India’s largest mall, as part of a massive $2.5 billion expansion project that will transform the country’s first aerotropolis over the next five years, according to a TOI report by Saurabh Sinha.
We take a look at top 10 things about the Delhi Aerocity expansion project that will soon house India’s largest mall and the passenger connectivity options coming up at the IGI airport:
We take a look at top 10 things about the Delhi Aerocity expansion project that will soon house India’s largest mall and the passenger connectivity options coming up at the IGI airport:
- The leasable area in Aerocity will increase from the current 15 lakh square feet to over one crore square feet by 2029, with the expansion taking place in two phases.
- The global business district will be further expanded by an additional 65 lakh sq feet, resulting in a total of 1.8 crore sq feet of leasable area for offices, retail, food courts, and an entertainment-focused mega mall, along with public spaces.
- Bharti Realty, which won the bid for developing Aerocity, has a lease that is coterminous with DIAL’s lease for developing and operating the airport, while the ownership remains with the state.
- Phase 2 will see Aerocity getting Worldmark 4, 5, 6 & 7 with 35 lakh sq feet leasable area and India’s largest mall sprawled over 28 lakh sq feet — three times as large as the existing Vasant Kunj malls, SK Sayal, MD & CEO, Bharti Realty told TOI. Underground parking for over 8,000 cars is also planned.
- Bharti is focusing on developing the mega mall, which Sayal said would become India’s biggest when it opens by 2027. “We have sent teams across the world and are developing the mall as the country’s largest indoor entertainment destination offering the most sought after global entertainment genres,” he added.
- Currently, Aerocity has 5,000 hotel rooms across 11 leading hotels. Upon completion of Phase 2, the room count will increase to 7,000 across 16 hotels, with new additions like St Regis and JW Marriott Marquis.
- Phase 3, set to begin in 2025 and be completed by 2029, will add 40 lakh sq feet of leasable commercial space along the Northern Access Road connecting Mahipalpur and Terminals 2 and 3. These will be offices with retail space on the ground floor, forming a boundaryless district linked by cycle tracks and walkways.
- Sayal anticipates Aerocity to have 20 lakh people working there and an annual footfall of at least three crore upon completion. By then, IGI could be handling over 10 crore passengers annually and replacing T2 with a much larger T4, increasing the airport’s yearly capacity to over 14 crore flyers.
- To handle the increased footfall, DIAL is developing India’s first interstate multi-modal transport hub near the Aerocity metro station. This hub will likely incorporate an interstate bus terminus, Delhi Metro’s upcoming Phase 4 line, and the Rapid Rail Transit System station, including the station for the automated passenger mover or air train. Currently, DIAL and the Union aviation ministry are discussing the number of stops the proposed air train linking T1 on one side and T3/2 (or T4 in place of T2 by the end of this decade) should have. While the airport operator favors two air train stations in Aerocity, the ministry prefers fewer stops to ensure quick intra-terminal transfers.
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Worldmark Aerocity will be the world’s most well-connected global business district with different modes of transport available. People coming from Meerut, Alwar or Panipat will reach here within 45 minutes on the upcoming RRTS. The mega mall will have parking space for thousands of cars,” said Sayal.
