Noida International Airport: A New Hub for Air Travel in Delhi NCR
Exciting news for all travelers in the National Capital Region! The Noida International Airport (NIA), the second airport in the NCR, is gearing up to kick off commercial operations by the end of April 2025. Christoph Schnellmann, the chief executive of Noida Airport, has announced that the airport will undergo a series of test flights starting from September as part of the approval process.
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) is expected to conduct calibration flights for the Instrument Landing System (ILS) in September and October. In December, a commercial airline will operate validation flights for approach and departure procedures without passengers. Schnellmann stated that once all necessary clearances are obtained from the DGCA, the airport will have its first flight by April 2025.
Initially slated for a September launch, the commencement of commercial operations was delayed due to a supply chain issue affecting the import of specialized steel required for the airport terminal building’s roof construction. Zurich Airport, the winning bidder for the airport project, has been working on it for 18 years after it was first envisioned by the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Rajnath Singh. Tata Projects has been selected to carry out the construction work in 2022.
The Noida International Airport is already attracting significant interest from both domestic and international airlines. Discussions are underway with Air India and other carriers for flight operations, making it the second major airport in the NCR after Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
The airport’s terminal is being designed to handle both domestic and international operations seamlessly. In the initial phase, the airport will feature a single runway and terminal capable of accommodating 1.2 crore passengers annually. Upon completion of the fourth phase, the airport’s capacity will expand to handle 70 million passengers per year.
Several airlines, including IndiGo and Akasa Air, have already signed agreements with the Noida International Airport. Most of the runway construction work has been completed, and the first phase will include one terminal, one runway, 10 aerobridges, and 25 parking stands.
To ensure easy accessibility, the airport will be connected through six roads, a rapid rail-cum-metro system, and pod taxis. Additionally, a 31-kilometer greenfield expressway is under construction to link the airport with the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway at Ballabhgarh.
The Uttar Pradesh government has approved a Rs 16,000-crore rapid rail corridor connecting the two airports and other parts of Delhi, with the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) finalizing the detailed project report by March. Don’t miss out on experiencing the convenience and world-class facilities at the Noida International Airport!
