NOIDA, India — The Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar is set to launch on April 17, with over 80% of the terminal building work completed, officials confirmed on Monday, as published by The Economic Times.
The project, located along the Yamuna Expressway, aims to serve as an alternative to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Shailendra Bhatia, the nodal officer for Noida International Airport Ltd. (NIAL), reported that the terminal’s flooring is complete, and escalators and baggage handling systems have been installed. Construction of the terminal’s roof is ongoing, with further finishing works progressing rapidly. Upon completion, the installation of 10 aerobridges will begin.
The first phase of the airport’s development is being funded with a total of Rs 10,056 crore, with 90% of the funds already used. Of this, Rs 4,326 crore was allocated by the Uttar Pradesh government for land acquisition (1,334 hectares), and Rs 5,730 crore is earmarked for project development by the concessionaire, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a subsidiary of Zurich AG.
Work on the air traffic control (ATC) tower is finished, including the glass façade and operational systems required by the Airport Authority of India (AAI). On-site progress shows 78.7% completion of land-side development, which includes the passenger terminal, access roads, parking, and public transport links. Air-side work, including runways, taxiways, and aprons, is 88.9% complete.
Last month, the airport’s concessionaire applied for an aerodrome license after a successful validation test flight, which involved an Airbus 320 touching down and taking off from the runway. This test flight, which included officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and AAI, was conducted to assess the airport’s flight readiness. The aerodrome license, required for commercial operations, is expected to be granted by March.
Authorities are targeting April 17 to begin commercial operations. In the first phase, the airport is expected to handle 12 million passengers annually. Additionally, a 750-meter, eight-lane elevated road with four cloverleaf interchanges connecting the airport to the Yamuna Expressway is complete. This road is part of a larger 31-kilometer stretch that will eventually link the airport to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway at Ballabgarh in Haryana, though the full road project will take a few months to finish.
Work is also progressing on the MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) hub and a second runway, with tender documents being prepared to advance the development of these key components in the second phase of the project.