Noida Airport likely to start commercial flights after Diwali

New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS) Commercial flight operations from the upcoming Noida International Airport at Jewar are expected to start after Diwali, offering travellers in the National Capital Region a festive season gift with improved air connectivity.

The airport will be inaugurated on October 30, while commercial flight operations are set to begin after Diwali, marking a big boost to air connectivity in the National Capital Region.

Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu recently confirmed that the airport would be formally inaugurated at the end of October, and flights would take off within 45 days of the ceremony.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also said that commercial operations will begin before the end of this year.

The Noida International Airport is being built in four phases. In the first phase, a single runway and a passenger terminal have been completed, with the capacity to handle 12 million passengers annually.

Key works such as technical installations, finishing touches, and deep cleaning are currently underway.

An extensive Operational Readiness and Airport Transfer (ORAT) programme is also in progress to ensure smooth functioning once flights begin.

Officials said that once construction and readiness checks are completed, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will issue the aerodrome licence.

Only after this regulatory clearance can commercial operations commence.

The airport’s runway has been designed with CAT-III compliance, which means it will be able to handle flights even in low-visibility conditions like dense winter fog -- a major relief for passengers in North India.

Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) has already confirmed IndiGo as its launch carrier.

Akasa Air has also announced plans to operate both domestic and international flights from Jewar, while talks with several other international carriers are underway.

Originally scheduled to start operations in September 2024, the project faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once fully completed by 2050, the airport will have six runways and become India’s largest aviation hub, boosting both passenger movement and cargo capacity.

With the inauguration set for October 30 and flight operations expected after Diwali, the airport is poised to transform connectivity in the Delhi-NCR region and provide a big push to trade, tourism, and investment in Uttar Pradesh.

--IANS

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