Phase one of the Noida airport in Jewar will feature a single runway and a terminal with an annual capacity of 12 million passengers.
The Noida International Airport at Jewar will be inaugurated on October 30, with commercial operations expected to begin within 45 days, initially connecting at least 10 cities, Union civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu announced on Wednesday.
Speaking at the Yatri Sewa Diwas function at Hindon airport in Ghaziabad, Naidu said efforts were underway to push for an early start.
“We are trying to push the inauguration of the Noida airport so that we can see it happen very soon. Right now the date we have decided on is October 30, and within 45 days we can see the operations. The airlines are also excited to operate from Jewar airport, and the area has huge potential. At least 10 cities will be connected in the first phase,” the minister said.
He added that the facility will play a strategic role in cargo operations. “We see it as more than civil aviation connectivity — it will be a major cargo hub as well.”
The Jewar project, spread over 1,334 hectares, will give the National Capital Region its second full-fledged commercial airport after Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Phase one will feature a single runway and a terminal with an annual capacity of 12 million passengers, eventually scaling to 70 million across four phases. Officials expect about six million passengers in the first year alone.
Construction has now entered its final phase. The 3,900-metre runway and the ATC tower are complete, while the terminal structure is nearly finished. Aerobridges have been installed, baggage systems and e-gates are in place, and interior works — seating, lighting, toilets, and galleries — are nearing completion, officials aware of the developments in Noida earlier this month.
The officials expect full readiness by October, after which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) must issue the aerodrome licence.
The airport concessionaire, Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), confirmed that the core aeronautical infrastructure is ready. Roofing work on the terminal has been completed, and finishing and technical installations are progressing.
A YIAPL spokesperson said that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started commissioning systems in the ATC tower, alongside Operational Readiness and Transition (ORAT) trials — including simulations and familiarisation exercises for airlines and ground handlers. Tests are also in progress on baggage handling, security equipment, check-in counters and boarding gates. “Tests are in progress on the baggage handling system, security equipment, check-in counters and boarding gates,” the spokesperson added.
Last week, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) granted security clearance for the airside infrastructure. “Now two steps are left — obtaining the DGCA licence and announcing flights and destinations,” said Shailendra Bhatia, nodal officer of Noida International Airport Ltd (NIAL), the state monitoring agency.
Airlines, meanwhile, have started tying up with Jewar. IndiGo, which operated a validation flight last December to test approach procedures and ATC systems, signed an MoU in November 2023 to serve as the launch carrier. Akasa Air, which began flying in 2022, has also committed to building a strong network from the airport. Officials said that flights to major cities including Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata are under discussion for the initial phase.
The project, however, has faced repeated delays. Originally targeted for September 2024 and later revised to mid-2025, the timeline slipped further, prompting the Uttar Pradesh government to impose a daily penalty of ₹10 lakh on the concessionaire from January this year. With works now nearing completion, officials said the project is finally on track.
Meanwhile, speaking at the event, Naidu also announced upcoming passenger-centric initiatives across Indian airports. “In the next one to two months, every airport in the country will get free WiFi service for all passengers, domestic or international. We are also working on providing library facilities — very popular with travellers abroad — at every airport in the next two to three months, along with dedicated kids’ zones,” Naidu said.
Alongside Jewar, the minister highlighted developments at Hindon airport.
“Hindon airport is fast developing, and we are also surprised that it is now connected to 16 cities in a very short time. The terminal is saturated, and we have plans to expand it. We are also in talks with the Indian Air Force to increase terminal bays. However, we face more demand, and we want to promote it further,” the minister added further.
The terminal, which began operations in October 2019, offers connectivity to cities such as Kolkata, Chennai, Goa, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Jammu, Varanasi, Patna, Ahmedabad, Indore, Adampur, Nanded, Kishangarh, Ludhiana, and Bathinda.
Officials aware of the development said that currently, Hindon has only two parking bays for aircraft, leading to delays whenever schedules are disrupted. AAI has sought nine hectares of additional land from the Uttar Pradesh government for expansion.
The article originally appeared on Hindustan Times
