Noida airport sees interest from Middle East, Southeast Asian airlines

New Delhi: Foreign airlines from Middle East and Southeast Asia are eyeing connectivity to the upcoming airport in Jewar, which is now likely to commence commercial operations by April next year due to construction delays.

"We are seeing interest from airlines across Middle East and Southeast Asia. We are building the airport in a way that it will be ready for international operations from the first day onwards. So, we are ready," Christoph Schnellmann, chief executive officer, Noida International Airport, told journalists at Jewar.

The Noida International Airport is coming up across 1,334 hectares at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddha Nagar. It is about 72 kilometres (km) from Indira Gandhi International Airport, 52 km from Noida and 130 km from Agra. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Noida airport during his second tenure in November 2021.

Schnellmann said that domestic airlines—namely IndiGo and Akasa Air—that will have a base at the airport have shown interest in connecting not just the metros and regional cities in the domestic segment, but also overseas destinations.

Also Read: Noida airport faces construction delays, flight launch now by April 2025

The airport had earlier planned to commence operations by the end of 2024, but construction delays have pushed the launch of commercial flights to April 2025. Currently, more than 7,500 workers are readying the airport, which will handle 12 million passengers and manage around 100,000 flights per annum in the first phase.
 

Calibration flights for instrument landing system

The airport management further informed that they have planned calibration flights for instrument landing system for the airport in September-October and validation flights for approach and departure procedures will take place in December. Once these regulatory requirements are completed, Noida International Airport will then apply to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for an aerodrome licence.

"We expect to launch commercial flight by April," Schnellmann said.

Noida International Airport is being developed by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), an arm of Zurich Airport International AG. The Swiss company has taken a keen interest in Indian aviation in the past as well. It held a 17% stake in the Bengaluru airport in 1999 under a Siemens-led consortium. Gradually, it reduced its stake in the airport and exited by selling the remaining 5% in Bengaluru International Airport Ltd to Prem Watsa’s Fairfax in 2016.

Also Read: UP govt notifies phase 3 expansion of Noida’s Jewar Airport

The concession period for Jewar airport commenced on 1 October 2021 and will run for 40 years. Engineering, procurement and construction of the airport was awarded to Tata Projects in June 2022. By the end of the fourth phase, the airport will cater to around 500,000 flights and 70 million passengers annually.