The upcoming Noida International Airport may be scheduled to begin operations within the next two months, after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday granted airport license to the facility, clearing the last hurdle before the launch.
A government statement said that the airport was licensed under the general use category for all-weather operations and that it meets safety and operational standards set by the regulatory body.
He stated that the development of Noida International Airport (NIA) is part of the broader vision of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to build a strong aviation ecosystem.
When will the airport open?
After approval from the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, cargo and domestic aviation operations are expected to begin within 45 days, according to the project plan.
The airport facility, spread over an area of 1,300 hectares in Uttar Pradesh’s Jewar district, has cleared its final hurdle of obtaining an airport licence, before commencing operations a day after receiving mandatory security clearance from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
BCAS had previously cited several issues that led to the postponement of the opening, which was initially scheduled for September 2024. It raised concerns about potential interference with the high-frequency omni-directional Doppler range (DVOR), a navigation aid that provides aircraft with bearing information related to a ground station.
Questions have also been raised about the steel wall near DVOR, which presents an opportunity to affect the safety of aircraft during landing and take-off. BCAS questioned the temporary structure and asked the airport operator to replace it with a permanent wall.
“While the construction of the permanent wall will take a few months, BCAS has granted permission on the condition that a permanent structure be built within six months,” an official familiar with the matter said.
About Noida International Airport
Expected to handle about 12 million passengers annually in its first phase, NIA is being developed as the second largest airport in the National Capital Region after the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
The facility features a 10/28 bearing runway with dimensions of 3900m x 45m, supported by an Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Aviation Ground Lighting (AGL) system, enabling 24 x 7 operations.
“The airport has parking for 24 C and 02 D/F aircraft and is equipped with Class 9 ARFF facilities capable of handling wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 777-300ER,” a government statement said.
The airport is being developed in four phases, along with a multimodal cargo hub. After completion of all phases, it will be equipped to handle up to 70 million passengers annually, emerging as a major aviation hub for the National Capital Region and western Uttar Pradesh.
The project was awarded in October 2020 to Zurich Airport International AG, which is developing and operating the airport through its Indian subsidiary, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), under a 40-year public-private partnership, HT had previously reported.
It is supervised by Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), a state-owned special purpose vehicle.
(With inputs from Neha L.M. Tripathi)
