Noida International Airport, touted to be Asia's largest, is gearing up to welcome its first flight in April 2025. This ambitious project, which is located in the Gautam Buddh Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh, is expected to have six runways—double the number of runways that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport now has—and the ability to handle crores of travellers each year.
Jewar Airport, also known as Noida International Airport, is developing quickly; one of its runways is almost finished. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Noida International Airport in Jewar in 2021. With a length of 3.9 kilometres and a width of 60 meters, the runway is now nearing completion.
According to project head Dinesh Jamwal, while the runway itself is complete, work on the lighting is still pending. "Marking for lighting is underway, and this work is expected to be finished in the next two months," Jamwal stated. Waterlogging won't be an issue, even during periods of severe rain, because the runway has been constructed to ensure effective drainage.
The design of the Noida International Airport terminal complex, which pays homage to Uttar Pradesh's rich cultural legacy, is also beginning to take shape. The terminal's entrance is modelled after Varanasi's famous ghats, providing visitors with a distinctive cultural experience.
The terminal, featuring 10 gates, is nearly complete, and the apron area—where passengers will board their flights—is also ready. Several boarding bridges have already been delivered to the site. Additionally, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower is almost complete.
The airport is being built in the Uttar Pradesh district of Gautam Buddh Nagar in order to relieve traffic at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and meet the region's expanding air traffic demand.
Validation flights are planned for December, after test flights in September. To determine whether the airport satisfies all operating requirements, these flights are essential.
Key features of Noida International Airport:
1. India's First of Its Kind: Noida International Airport is set to become the country's first airport built for both net-zero emissions and multi-cargo operations.
2. Six Runways: Unlike Delhi Airport, which has three runways, the new airport will have six.
3. Parking of Aircraft: The airport will be able to accommodate 178 aircraft at once.
4. Investment and Cost: An additional Rs 35,000 crore is anticipated to be invested in addition to the approximately Rs 10,000 crore total estimated cost of construction.
5. Passenger Capacity: By 2040–2050, the airport is scheduled to accommodate 7 crore passengers, up from its initial capacity of 1 crore 20 lakh people annually.
6. Stands: The airport will have 186 stands for aircraft.