The flight carried several industrialists, including over 70 employees and others sponsored by Noida-based CRC Group.
More than 70 km from Delhi, India’s most ambitious aviation hub, Noida International Airport at Jewar in Gautam Budh Nagar, began operations on Monday, with the first IndiGo flight landing at the green facility at 7:55 am.
The flight took off from Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport touched down at 7:14 a.m. in Noida, about 10 minutes ahead of schedule, to begin operations at what will become India’s largest airport and Asia’s largest cargo hub.
The flight carried several industrialists, including over 70 employees and others sponsored by Noida-based CRC Group. Actress and former politician Gul Panag, herself a licensed private pilot, was also among them.
In a conversation with HT on Sunday evening, Panag said that The new airport in Noida will help NCR’s industrial city become ‘more ambitious’.
“I started seeing a lot of people from Delhi, from South Delhi, and even Gurgaon, now considering Noida as ‘worth their time.’ “Noida is no longer the second cousin or the poor rural cousin of Delhi NCR,” she said in a short conversation, later revealed to be a solution to the region’s pollution problem. “She’s starting to become very ambitious.”
the Lucknow Airport authorities and IndiGo on Monday gave a warm welcome to passengers who boarded the first ever flight to Noida, with a lamp lighting and cake cutting ceremony, in which the first passenger to enter Terminal 3 of the airport in the UP capital participated.
Captain Ranjit Kapoor, who commanded the historic flight, welcomed the passengers on board and praised the government of Central and Uttar Pradesh, along with the engineers, workers and planners of the new airport.
“the Noida International Airport has been conceptualized by the Government of India, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Government of UP, they all have put in a lot of effort. Workers, engineers and planners put in millions of man-hours to make this dream a reality. So today, we celebrate this dream which has come to fruition today,” Captain Kapoor said.
Landing
The flight, of which HT was a part, was uneventful and landed at Noida International Airport 10 minutes before its scheduled time of 8:05 am.
As soon as the plane landed, the passengers burst into applause to celebrate this historic occasion. The plane received a water cannon salute from the ground crew as it moved towards its designated air bridge.
As passengers disembarked, staff at the new airport rolled out the red carpet, showering them with polite greetings and gift bags to let them know their place in history.
Shanti Jain, who was recognized by IndiGo as the first passenger to enter the terminal on the Noida-bound flight in Lucknow, said he was excited and amazed to be part of this historic occasion.
“I specially flew from Guwahati to Lucknow last night to be on this flight. Being here gives you pride as a passenger to see such a big airport. I’m sure this is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in India, and you feel proud to witness something so wonderful and see and witness the growth story of India,” an excited Jain told HT.
Outside the airport, a contingent of UP Police gave a ceremonial salute as passengers exiting the new terminal looked on.
“The airport will significantly boost investor confidence and strengthen Noida’s position as one of India’s most attractive destinations for business and real estate investment. We believe this achievement will open up unprecedented opportunities across sectors and contribute significantly to the economic growth of Uttar Pradesh and the nation.” CRC Group Director Salil Kumar said.
Shivam Pratap Singh is a digital journalist who works as Deputy Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times. Having previously worked with different platforms covering national, international as well as sports events, he blends different topics to make news articles easier to read for the benefit of the reader. Shivam holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Jamia Millia Islamia University, bringing a unique perspective to everything happening around the world. An avid reader, he can be seen immersed in books and bookstores when he is not working. Shivam treats every topic almost equally but likes to be right about India’s foreign affairs and politics. He has more than half a decade of experience in digital journalism, although his career began in print.Read more
