India’s newest civilian airport at Noida International Airport in Jewar, has officially begun its commercial operations on Monday 15 June, with budget airline, IndiGo’s flight from Uttar Pradesh’s capital, Lucknow.
India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had inaugurated the Noida International Airport on 28 March.
Developed by Zurich Airport International, it acts as a major gateway for North India and is designed to significantly reduce passenger and cargo pressure on Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Till now, passengers between Delhi and Lucknow used the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi’s southwest to fly to Uttar Pradesh’s capital city. The Noida airport now provides an alternative route for the Delhi NCR residents wanting to fly to and fromLucknow.
As the IndiGo flight landed in Noida, passengers clapped in excitement, even as the airport welcomed the first commercial aircraft landing with a water cannon salute, as is the tradition in civil aviation.
Onboard this first flight were some special guests including several dozen farmers who sold hundreds of acres of their land for this airport project – some of them have been flew on an aircraft before.
The next phase of flights
The Noida airport is under a public-private partnership programme which is the Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a 100% subsidiary of the Zurich Airport International AG. The airport will initially operate domestic flights within India.
Apart from IndiGo, another private airline, Akasa Air, will also launch a daily flight between Noida airport and Bengaluru and Navi Mumbai airports from 16 June. With those flight services, Akasa Air would become the second operator from the Jewar-based NoidaInternational Airport. The first commercial cargo service from the Jewar airport would start from 17 June.
Boost to the aviation and tourism sectors
Noida airport’s commercial operations are a key development in the Uttar Pradesh government’s effort to boost the aviation sector in the state and provide connectivity between Lucknow and other parts of the state, enabling faster travel for governance, business,and leisure.
Tourism within the region is expected to grow drastically due to the airport’s proximity to popular traveller locations, including Agra’s Taj Mahal. The enhanced connectivity will facilitate easier access for international and domestic tourists, bolsteringthe local hospitality and service sectors.
Noida equipped with the latest technology
The Noida International Airport has a 3,900-metre runway to operate wide-body aircraft and is equipped with modern navigation aids such as Instrument Landing Systems and an advanced airfield lighting system. The airport has already come under a multi-layeredsecurity blanket, which includes artificial intelligence-based surveillance, apart from 1,030 personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and a police station.
The first phase of the airport’s development includes a single runway and a terminal with an annual capacity of 12 million passengers. This expansion is part of a long-term plan to increase capacity to 70 million passengers annually by 2050.
Main photo credit: ABB
