GMR Aerocity in Delhi & GMR Hyderabad Airport City: Viable options for corporates for their Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

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GMR Aerocity in Delhi & GMR Hyderabad Airport City: Viable options for corporates for their Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

08 July 2020

Metros and other large cities have traditionally been the choice of corporates to set up their large offices. But, COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has hit their businesses hard as most of these offices are shut due lockdown, following restriction of movement of staff. The current situation has pushed these companies to look for other viable options where they can continue with their business as well as keep their employees safe and healthy. In situations like these, a remote office with skeletal staff can be a part of the business continuity plan (BCP) for corporates. And, here Aerotropolis or Aerocity or Airport City can come to their rescue.

Post lockdown, BCP will become a cross-functional response. Large head offices would shrink and become strategic corporate office for data sensitive function and core leadership team, while others being disseminated in flexible workspaces post lockdown. In situations like these, GMR Aerocity in Delhi and GMR Airport City in Hyderabad, with world class infrastructure and various facilities, offer a viable option to corporates for their BCP.

GMR Aerocity, Delhi

GMR Aerocity offers a host of facilities to the companies to set up their offices as part of BCP which could turn out to be a huge cost saver. These include safe and secure environment, cyber security, uninterrupted power supply, proximity to airport, availability of hotels and world class food outlets, etc.

Majority of new mainstream workforce today comprises of millennial which is multi-generational and tech savvy, and their expectations are very different about the office spaces. GMR Aerocity could be a place of their choice as it offers them what they want -- good food, good ambiance, luxury and proximity to cities like Gurugram and Delhi.

Setting up remote offices at GMR Aerocity, as part of BCP, would provide corporates a much needed developed work spaces and culture in response to the changing economic and business conditions. Even hotels in the GMR Aerocity are looking at restructuring a portion of their property for accommodating office set up.

They argue, setting up small office at hotels would help reduce the fixed cost for the companies, as they don't have to sign a long term lease agreements with grade A office space owners and get into long term pay obligation. Instead, they can work with hotel owners for a weekly or monthly payments, thus witness a significant dip in fixed cost.

GMR Hyderabad Airport City, Hyderabad

India's big cities like Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru are established leaders in terms of corporate real estate and in recent years Hyderabad is added to the list. The capital of Telangana has emerged as base for leading start-ups and tech companies. With the availability of land, improved infrastructure like metro rail, outer ring road (ORR) and inter-city road network, Hyderabad is likely to witness further expansion of business districts. Recently, the state government has setup 'T-Hub' start-up incubator in the city.

This can be actively supported by GMR Hyderabad Airport City, situated near to GMR's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA). The place offers an integrated ecosystem covering commercial office space, retail, leisure & entertainment, hospitality, education, healthcare, aerospace and logistics. Also, it is strategically located within two hours flying time to all major Indian cities. And is globally positioned within a five-hour radius from all major cities in the Middle East and South East Asia.

The Hyderabad Airport City offers best in class infrastructural support for the prospective and existing businesses viz. redundancies built in telecom, power & IT infrastructure for 24/7 operations; dedicated power link-up with the state grid for reliable power supply, round the clock security, cyber security, express connectivity with the city; pollution free and well-planned ecosystem.

Hyderabad Airport City offers theme based, anchor-led development zones, which include key ports and establishments, viz. Business Park, Retail Park, Aerospace Park, Logistics Park, Health Port, Edu Port and Fun Port. These zones are being developed with a stated vision of not only to contribute directly to the Airport business but also to act as the engine of economic growth for the entire region.

An international school, a university, a healthcare facility, a co-living shared accommodation and a new hospitality district are also being developed to make the GMR Hyderabad Airport City a self-sustained community to truly enable a work-live-play concept.

With rapid growth and commercial activity momentum in many cities it is critical for companies to consider having an office in GMR Aerocity or GMR Hyderabad Airport City as part of BCP for smooth functioning.

The concept of Aerotropolis was propounded by an American academic and airport business consultant John D. Kasarda. Some international airports like Schiphol in Amsterdam, O'Hare in Chicago, Dubai, Hong Kong, Incheon in South Korea have already set their benchmarks in manifestation of Airport City. In India, it is gaining traction, especially after the introduction of Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in airport development.