The much-awaited Noida International Airport is set to begin operations from June 15, officials said. The airport, located at Jewar in Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, is expected to significantly ease congestion at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The airport has already started approaching airlines to book tickets after receiving approval for its Airport Security Program (ASP) from the Civil Aviation Security Bureau – a clearance that triggers a mandatory 45-day countdown before operations begin.
Low-cost carrier IndiGo is expected to be the first airline, while Akasa Air and Air India Express are also planning to operate the flights. The initial domestic routes under discussion include Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, while airlines from West Asia and Southeast Asia have shown interest in international services, which are expected to begin a few months after domestic operations stabilize.
Officials said that discussions with airlines regarding flight schedules and timings are continuing, although the start date for booking has not yet been finalized. IndiGo is likely to operate the largest number of flights initially, while Air India Express plans to serve two daily flights between Noida and Bengaluru.
The first phase of the airport was developed at an estimated cost $11,200 crore under the PPP model, will have one runway and a terminal with an annual passenger capacity of 12 million passengers. When construction is completed in four phases, the airport is expected to handle up to 70 million passengers annually.
Strategically located along the Yamuna Expressway, the airport is designed to be a major aviation hub for the National Capital Region and is expected to decongest Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and enhance connectivity across northern India.
