In charts: India’s largest airport begins countdown for April takeoff

An Airbus 320 operated by IndiGo was the first flight to touch down and take off from the runway of Noida International Airport in Jewar (Greater Noida) on Monday (December 9). No, this wasn’t a regular passenger flight. Wait till April 2025 for that. Monday’s was a trial to assess the new airport’s flight readiness, which it cleared successfully. The flight — with Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Airport Authority of India (AAI) officials on board — landed at 1.25pm to a water cannon salute, accompanied by thunderous applause from airport staff and hundreds of workers who toiled on the project over the past couple of years. Before it landed, the Airbus circled above the airport for 90 minutes to assess operational readiness and air traffic protocols. It took off around 2.45pm. medium116164273Monday's flight a validation exerciseOfficials said the trial included a test of the required navigation performance (RNP) and lighting systems. RNP allows aircraft to follow highly precise flight paths, ensuring optimal safety and efficiency.“Today’s aircraft had specialised equipment to perform critical manoeuvres, such as landing, take-off, and taxiing along the runway. These tests evaluated the runway’s performance, including surface conditions, length, and lighting systems. The navigational aids, such as instrument landing system [ILS] and precision approach path indicator [PAPI], were tested for accuracy. Communication protocols with air traffic control were assessed as well. Emergency simulations, including scenarios like engine failure and adverse weather conditions, were conducted,” an official said.Shailendra Bhatia, nodal officer of Noida International Airport Ltd (NIAL) — which is monitoring the project on behalf of the UP government — said work was on track to meet the April deadline.“On Monday, the IndiGo aircraft took off from Delhi airport around noon and entered the Noida airspace in 10 minutes. It then made several rounds in the air to record crucial data and eventually landed after an hour and 20 minutes. Now, the concessionaire — YIAPL [Yamuna International Airport Private Ltd] — will have time till December 31 to apply for the aerodrome licence with DGCA, which has promised to issue it in 90 days. Once that is done, the airport will be eligible for commercial operations,” he added.Christoph Schnellmann, the CEO of Noida International Airport, dubbed the flight validation a “historic occasion”.“Just four years after the concession agreement was signed between Zurich AG and the UP government, three years after land for this project was made available, and two and a half years after construction began with our partners at Tata Projects, we are now in a position to welcome the first aircraft at Noida International Airport,” he added.Union civil aviation minister KR Naidu described the Jewar airport as the “most prestigious project in the country”.Set for take-off in AprilThe Jewar airport is the National Capital Region's (NCR) second international airport. It is expected to decongest Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi, India’s busiest, to a great extent. The airport, envisioned as the country’s largest, is being developed in four phases. With the first phase over, it will be open to domestic and international flight operations from April 2025 with one runway and a passenger terminal building. Besides NCR, the airport will cater to western Uttar Pradesh and the neighbouring states of Haryana, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan. The initial aim is to handle 12 million passengers annually, with plans to expand the capacity to 70 million passengers per year when all five runways become operational.The airport will be linked to the planned Delhi-Varanasi High-Speed Rail (bullet train), enabling the journey between the national capital and Jewar in only 21 minutes. medium nocaption113936186Current status A detailed timeline outlining key clearances for the airport’s launch was presented by YIAPL, a subsidiary of Swiss airports major Zurich AG, which is developing the Noida airport. “The timeline is crucial because any deviation from the April 17 deadline could result in a further six-month delay in securing international approvals and time slots from the International Air Transport Association (IATA),” Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer of NIAL, had said on October 1. The airport was initially scheduled to begin operations by the end of September this year, with plans for up to 65 daily flights — 62 on domestic routes, two for international destinations and a cargo flight. According to Singh, the number of flights is unlikely to change next year. He said talks have been initiated with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for international slots and India’s civil aviation regulator DGCA for domestic routes. medium nocaption113934775 Fast-paced development Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the airport in UP’s Gautam Budh Nagar district in November 2021. While addressing the event, Modi said the international airport would provide a major boost to the state’s economy in terms of tourism, export, employment and real estate. Located about 75 km from Delhi, it will be the second international airport in NCR, complementing Delhi’s IGI Airport, and aims to serve as a key transit hub for the Asia Pacific region. To expedite the airport project, the UP government fast-tracked processes such as licensing, operations, and staff recruitment through an e-tendering system. NIAL, which is overseeing the project, is focused on building essential infrastructure. YIAPL is ensuring the project meets both state and central government standards. According to the UP government, this will be India’s first airport to operate as a transit hub, with aspirations to become a major hub for the Asia Pacific region. A multimodal cargo hub at the Noida International Airport, developed by Air India SATS (AISATS), is expected to be operational soon. Spread over 80 acres, this project will feature an integrated cargo terminal, along with warehousing and logistics facilities. medium nocaption113934807An airport with 5 runways One of the country’s biggest infrastructure projects, the Jewar greenfield airport will have five runways instead of the earlier proposed two, then UP finance minister Suresh Khanna said while presenting the 2023 state budget. Land acquisition for the third runway has begun. Close to 1,335 hectares of land will be required for the project. Later, 2,053 hectares will be needed for the fourth and fifth runways. The airport is being developed in four phases, spread out over the 40-year concession period, with two interconnected terminals and a capacity to handle 70 million passengers annually. The IGI Airport in Delhi with four runways has a capacity to handle 104 million passengers a year. “The first phase will be spread over 1,334 hectares [3,296 acres] with one runway, cargo hub along with a terminal that will cater to domestic and international passengers. The second runway construction will begin once the airport reaches 80% of the 12 million passengers per year capacity,” Shailendra Bhatia, nodal officer of NIAL, said last year. “The development of the third, fourth and fifth runways will begin when footfall increases from 12 million to 30 million, 50 million and 70 million,” he added. medium nocaption113934825 Delhi to Jewar in 21 minutesThe Modi government has an ambitious plan to link the airport by the proposed Delhi-Varanasi bullet train, which is expected to roll out by 2029. The high-speed train will cover the distance between Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan (terminal) to Jewar airport in just 21 minutes.Besides, the UP government has approved a 72.3km rapid rail corridor to link the Noida airport with Delhi and other parts of NCR. According to an official, the route is also likely to connect the Noida airport with IGI in Delhi as well.The proposal is under consideration and its modalities are being worked out with officials having been asked to consult the Centre on its viability. However, the proposed rail corridor, which will branch out of the Ghaziabad rapid rail station on the Delhi-Meerut line, will not be completed before 2041. The distance between the two airports could be covered within 80 minutes. It would take about 50 minutes to travel to the Noida airport from Ghaziabad, 70 minutes from the Nizamuddin Railway Station in Delhi and 85 minutes from Meerut. The Delhi-Meerut rapid rail line will be launched in 2025. The proposal prepared by the NCR Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which operates rapid rail, envisages 12 stations on the Ghaziabad-Noida airport link. The Delhi-Meerut line originates at Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi. The proposed Delhi-Haryana rapid rail corridor, connecting Gurgaon and with a station at IGI, will also originate at Sarai Kale Khan. When this becomes functional, the rapid rail network will connect both NCR airports. According to officials, they are exploring building the NIA corridor in two phases – a 37.2km stretch between Ghaziabad and Ecotech VI or Kasna (Greater Noida) by 2031 and a 35.1km route from Ecotech VI to Noida airport in another 10 years. The final timelines will be clear only after a detailed project report is prepared. Sources said viability remains a concern because a line all the way to Jewar, where the airport is located, is unlikely to see significant footfall in the short term. medium nocaption113936165 The proposed route, officials said, is a combination of two alignments planned earlier. While the first corridor was a 70.4km stretch from the airport to Ghaziabad rapid rail station via Knowledge Park V, the second route was via Pari Chowk. They said integrating the rapid rail and metro routes at Pari Chowk was crucial for the ridership. NCRTC is planning to induct six-coach trains on the proposed corridor, with a frequency of nine minutes initially. With an increase in ridership, the frequency may be brought down to five minutes in the future. The project is likely to cost Rs 16,189 crore. While the UP government will bear half the cost, the Centre will contribute 20%. The Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway authorities will bear the remaining 30% cost. ‘Korean & Japanese’ cities, IT hub Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) has decided to set aside two sectors for ‘Japanese’ and ‘Korean’ industrial cities – where companies from these two countries will set up electronic manufacturing units. While ‘Japanese City’ will come up in Sector 5A off the Yamuna expressway, where 395 hectares are being acquired, ‘Korean City’ will be set up on 365 hectares in Sector 4A. The accessibility to the Noida Airport in Jewar — barely 10km away — is expected to give these two projects a boost in terms of connectivity. Arun Vir Singh, YEIDA CEO, said the two electronic hubs would have firms manufacturing chips, semiconductors, AI equipment and cameras. The upcoming airport has also turned the Noida-Greater Noida-Yamuna Expressway (YXP) belt into a major investment destination for leading IT companies, telecom equipment majors and data centres. The region already hosts HCL, Tech Mahindra and Microsoft. The American tech giant’s India Development Centre is spread over 1.5 lakh square feet. Its next project is a 6.45 lakh sq ft data centre. UP government officials say Microsoft’s investments will be around Rs 1,800 crore, and 3,000 jobs will be created. Phone and white goods manufacturers Samsung, Dixon, LG, Oppo, Vivo, Lava and Optiemus were early investors here, and are expanding. With inputs from Aditya Dev, Neha Lalchandani and agencies