Noida’s new international airport is scheduled to begin commercial operations on April 17, 2024, with around 30 flights expected to fly to both domestic and international destinations.
in 1scheduled tribe In the phase, 25 flights will connect major domestic cities and 3 flights will serve international destinations. Apart from this, 2 flights will focus on cargo services.
Work is underway on international and domestic routes
Initial discussions indicate that the first international flights from Noida airport are likely to be to Singapore, Dubai and Zurich.
Zurich in particular is the location of the airport concessionaire, which adds importance to the route. On the domestic front, the airport will connect Noida to major cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Dehradun and Hubli.
Noida International Airport (NIAL) CEO Arun Vir Singh commented on the status of route planning and said that “some airlines have already submitted applications for international routes”.
He stressed that these routes would require approval based on bilateral licensing agreements between the countries and airlines involved.
The process for domestic routes is under discussion between the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the airport’s partner airlines, IndiGo and Akasa Air. “The specific routes will depend on negotiations with countries, bilateral agreements and the consent of the civil aviation ministry,” Singh said.
Delayed start due to key stakeholders meeting
Although Noida was originally scheduled to commence operations in September 2023, the timeline was pushed to April at a high-level meeting taken by stakeholders such as NIAL, Yamuna International Airport (YIAPL), DGCA and Airports Authority of India (AAI). Extended till 2024. ,
Earlier this month, the airport completed calibration of its instrument landing system, a key component to guide pilots during low visibility conditions. Subsequently, a series of trial runs are planned to test the runway in the coming months.
Ticket sales for international flights are expected to begin 90 days before the official opening of the airport, while domestic flight bookings will begin six weeks before the launch. In December 2023, the airport concessionaire plans to apply for an airport license, which is expected to be approved within 90 days. At the time of official inauguration, licenses are expected to be issued by March 2024.
Located across 1,334 hectares in Jewar, the first phase of Noida International Airport is designed to handle 12 million passengers annually, handle 1 lakh flights and transport 2.5 lakh tonnes of cargo. This phase will include a 100,000 square meter terminal building with 28 aircraft stands.
Additionally, the airport’s future expansion plans outline a four-phase project that will eventually include multiple hubs. The first phase also includes setting up of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hub in 40 acres and multi-modal cargo hub in 80 acres.
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