Noida International Airport: India’s largest aviation hub taking shape, inauguration date set

The long wait for India’s next major aviation hub is nearly over.

The Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar, Gautam Buddh Nagar, is set to be inaugurated on October 30, with commercial flight operations expected to begin after Diwali, marking a festive season gift for travellers in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu confirmed the inauguration date, adding that flights will start within 45 days of the ceremony. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also assured that operations will begin before the end of 2025.

Construction of the airport began in 2019 and continued through the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally scheduled to open in September 2024, the project faced delays but is now back on track. Once fully developed by 2050, with six runways, NIA will be India’s largest airport, capable of handling 70 million passengers annually.

The first phase, now nearing completion, includes a single runway and a passenger terminal with the capacity to serve 12 million passengers per year. Technical installations, finishing touches, and an Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) programme are currently underway to ensure smooth functioning.

“Phase 1 construction is progressing steadily, and the airport remains on schedule for commissioning this year. The validation flight was successfully completed in December 2024, confirming the readiness of our navigational aids, approach procedures, and ATC systems,” NIA Chief Executive Officer Christoph Schnellmann told PTI.

The next milestone is securing an aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Only after regulatory clearance can commercial flights commence.

Notably, the runway is CAT-III compliant, allowing flights to operate in low visibility, such as during dense winter fog — a frequent challenge for northern India.

Launch carrier IndiGo will begin operations, while Akasa Air has announced plans for both domestic and international services. Talks are ongoing with several Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian airlines keen to connect to Jewar.

Beyond passenger traffic, NIA is also designed to be a cargo and MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) hub. A multi-modal cargo terminal, developed with Air India SATS, is close to completion. The airport has also received strong interest in its MRO facility bids, part of its long-term vision to become “a comprehensive aviation hub.”

The project is being developed under a public-private partnership model, with Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) — a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International — as the concessionaire. Located next to the Yamuna Expressway and 75 km from Delhi, the airport is expected to transform connectivity across NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan, and western Uttar Pradesh.

Nearly 9,000 workers are currently on-site, and thousands more jobs are expected as future phases roll out.

As reported by IANS, the airport’s commissioning is expected to provide a major boost to trade, tourism, and investment in Uttar Pradesh, reshaping NCR’s air connectivity landscape.