It is Mitali Krishna’s first time at Aerohub inside the Chennai airport. She has just returned from a short trip to Bangalore and is tugging her carry-on suitcase through the mall, not looking to buy anything in particular. “I was looking to take the metro back home but saw Aerohub. I just thought I’d check it out,” she says, sipping on a coffee from Starbucks.
Mitali says that Aerohub seems like a nice ‘time pass’ for those who have time before, after and in-between flights. The two walkways connecting the mall and the terminals are not too long and seem like a quick escape when there is little time, and being stuck at the airport seems like a dull option.
Until recently, only a few shops were functional at the mall. Crowds would throng the PVR cinema hall here to watch films that they would not get tickets to at the more popular theatres in the city. An employee at the Starbucks here, operational since June 2023, says that they would have between 60 and 80 customers during the week but over double on the weekends. “Since people can shop now, I anticipate a larger number of people coming in,” the employee says.
On October 20, the mall opened its gates to bigger crowds looking to shop, eat and entertain themselves. Aerohub hosted a three-day launch carnival full of games, musical performances and fashion shows. The place was packed with people thronging a make-shift stage to see Andrea Jeremiah who was inaugurating the event. Before she sang ‘Oo Solriya’ from the Tamil version of Pushpa starring Allu Arjun, over 2,000 red balloons flooded the mall floor as part of a drop. The mall’s inauguration literally began with a bang as the excited audience stomped over the balloons with child-like glee. A walk through the airport mall saw people engaging in an eclectic variety of games at the LED entertainment zone including a virtual reality ride.
Popular brands like Pantaloons, W, Trends, Crocs and FabIndia have either opened shop or are looking to launch soon. The mall is spread over 2.5 lakh square feet and has two food courts including a 24-hour one open at its Western wing with brands like Chai Galli, Dominos and Streets of Arabia.
AJ Balaji, CEO, Olympia Group, says that Singapore’s Changi airport was the inspiration behind the mall’s design. “Airport malls are a trend across the globe. When we knew that we were creating a multi level car park along with a commercial space, we noticed that malls required the right mix of three things — entertainment, food and beverage and retail. That is what we aim to do. The response has been good,” he says.
He adds that they are catering to an audience in and around Meenambakkam which usually travels long distances to access shopping and entertainment facilities. This is besides the several transit customers they are hoping to reach out to .
On your next trip to the airport, there is perhaps a pit stop to explore. A flying visit, if you may.
