Noida International Airport: When will flight operations start?

Noida International Airport, also known as Jewar Airport, is being built in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh, some 75 km off Delhi, and will be the national capital region's second international airport after the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The first phase of the airport, being developed with a cost of over Rs 10,050 crore, is scheduled to be completed by 2025. Spread over more than 1300 hectares of land, the airport will have a capacity to serve around 1.2 crore passengers a year. The airport is being developed by Zurich Airport International AG as concessionaire.

The first validation test flight for the upcoming Noida International Airport was conducted successfully on December 11, with an Airbus 320 of IndiGo receiving a ceremonial water cannon salute upon the maiden landing at the greenfield facility.

The location of Jewar Airport is important as it will facilitate air travel for residents of Delhi and NCR including Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Aligarh, Agra and neighbouring areas. Being close to Delhi, Jewar Airport will also complement Indira Gandhi International Airport by easing connectivity and reducing the burden of luggage handling.

Jewar Airport is set to commence operations on April 17, 2025, with approximately 25 domestic and three international flights. Ticket booking is expected to open in February. It will be India’s first airport with six runways.

The airport is set to open new avenues for growth in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, and surrounding areas. This will be Uttar Pradesh's fifth international airport, joining the ranks of Lucknow, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Kushinagar.

Jewar Airport will initially operate 60 flights when it opens in 2025. While domestic destinations are yet to be finalised, three international routes to Zurich, Singapore, and Dubai have been scheduled.

According to reports, the ticket prices will be kept attractive with government support. According to reports, the Uttar Pradesh government can reduce the price of tickets by giving 15-20 percent subsidy.

Jewar Airport will feature a Ground Transportation Centre with metro, high-speed rail stations, taxis, buses, and private parking for seamless connectivity. It will link to Noida and Delhi via metro and connect to major highways like the Yamuna and Delhi-Mumbai Expressways. The airport will also be linked to the planned Delhi-Varanasi High Speed Rail, enabling the journey between Delhi and airport in only 21 minutes.

The Jewar International Airport will be India's first net zero emissions airport. The land has been earmarked to be developed as a forest park using trees from the project site.