Noida is set to get its international airport next month, with Jewar Airport undergoing a crucial DGCA flight test today, on October 27. The work is in its final stages, and the airport is most likely to be inaugurated by the third week of November. Earlier, the Union Civil Aviation Minister had indicated that the Noida International Airport would open by the end of October.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the Jewar site on Saturday to review progress, inspecting it both on the ground and from the air. He also called on PM Narendra Modi and sought a date from him for the inauguration of the first phase of the Noida International Airport, Jewar, in the third week of November, officials said, per a report by the Indian Express.
CM reviews construction and security arrangements
During his visit, CM Yogi reviewed the domestic terminal, security arrangements, traffic management and ongoing construction work. He later chaired a high-level meeting with officials from the district administration, police, Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), and the airport’s construction agency.
Officials briefed the CM that the process to get the airport’s licence from the DGCA is underway, with necessary corrections and compliance tests to take place during the upcoming check flight. Once approvals are secured, private airlines are expected to start setting up offices at the airport and flight operations are likely to begin by mid-December. Preparations for the grand inauguration are expected to finish by the third week of November, though no official launch date has been declared yet.
Christoph Schnellmann, CEO of Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, briefed the CM on the progress made in aviation systems, security, infrastructure, and other technical areas.
Flights to 10 cities in Phase 1
In the first phase, the airport will connect about 10 cities, including Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata and will also have potential for cargo operations. International flights will begin later.
So far, the airport’s operator, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), has signed agreements with IndiGo and Akasa Air. Initially, the airport will run one runway, handling 12 million passengers a year and around 150 flights daily. A second runway will be built once passenger numbers cross 10 million, eventually increasing total capacity to 70 million annually.
When fully developed, the Jewar airport will cover 11,750 acres and feature five runways, capable of handling up to 300 million passengers per year – making it one of the largest airports in the world. Uttar Pradesh currently has 24 airports, 16 of which are operational.
So far, 6,700 acres of land have been acquired for the project, and the remaining 5,100 acres will be procured within the next three months. The total land acquisition cost is estimated at Rs 5,000 crore, while construction costs are around Rs 7,000 crore.
