Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of Noida International Airport in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. Once completed, the airport is expected to become the largest in India, with both domestic and international flight operations.
The Noida Airport project has faced multiple delays since its announcement. It was initially scheduled to open in September 2024, but the schedule was pushed back twice before the eventual launch on March 28, 2026.
Commercial flight operations at the airport are expected to begin between mid-April and May 2026, according to reports, while international flights are likely to begin from September 2026 onwards.
Bookings for international flights from Noida Airport will open about 90 days before the airport begins operations, while domestic tickets will be available about six weeks before.
Can Noida Airport surpass Delhi’s IGI to handle combat operations?
There is no confirmed figure yet about the number of flights or initial destinations in the first phase of Noida Airport. However, officials said that the airport will have the capacity to handle up to 225 million (22.5 crore) passengers annually once it is fully operational.
In comparison, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, currently the busiest airport in the country, has four runways and handles more than 1,500 flight movements daily. Notably, air traffic in Delhi reached a record high on February 20 this year, when IGI managed about 1,550 aircraft movements in a single day, driven by a rise in the number of departures ahead of the conclusion of the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
The summit, which was held from February 16 to 20, 2026, witnessed the participation of more than 50,000 delegates and was described as the largest artificial intelligence event in the world. General aviation activity also saw a sharp rise, with 94 private and charter aircraft operating that day, nearly three times the usual daily average of 30-35 movements.
Passenger traffic was similarly high, with the number of passengers scheduled to reach nearly 2.5 lakh passengers, putting the airport close to peak passenger handling capacity.
According to officials, the fully built Noida airport will be able to handle up to 22.5 crore passengers annually, which translates to an average of around 6 lakh passengers per day at full capacity. However, these numbers are theoretical, and actual daily numbers will vary depending on demand, flight schedules and the phased expansion of the airport. IGI, on the other hand, handles around 7.9 crore passengers annually, according to figures given on the Delhi International Airport Limited website. It is said to have the capacity to handle over 10.5 crore passengers annually.
While the fully built Noida airport is expected to have a much higher passenger capacity, surpassing IGI, it will take a long time.
IGI Delhi remains a well-established aviation hub with broadband connectivity, high flight frequency and mature infrastructure. In contrast, Noida Airport will be gradually expanded in phases, adding routes, airlines and passenger numbers over the years. As a result, despite its ambitious long-term capacity, it may be a long time before Noida can match or surpass Delhi’s operational dominance.
