Opinion | How Noida’s Jewar Airport Will Transform India’s Aviation Sector – News18

Last Updated:December 13, 2024, 17:19 IST

PM Narendra Modi stated that the airport will be north India’s ‘Logistics Gateway,’ helping UP become an export hub and enabling even MSMEs to access overseas markets more easily

Airport officials pose for a photograph after the successful landing of the first test flight at Noida International Airport, at Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (PTI Photo)

Noida International Airport Ltd (NIAL) at Jewar, in the Gautam Buddha Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, conducted its first flight validation test on 9 December. According to NIAL officials, the first commercial flight from Noida International Airport is scheduled to take off on 17 April 2025. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the construction of NIAL during a well-attended foundation stone-laying ceremony on 25 November 2021.

9 December Validation Flight

An IndiGo test flight travelled from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) to NIAL, completing the final security-related analysis for the facility. Officials stated that the flight was conducted under close coordination between the pilots and the air traffic controllers (ATC). There were no passengers on board when the flight landed on the 3.9-kilometre runway shortly after noon. Earlier, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had granted flight and security approvals. Technically, the airport will now be readied for commercial operations.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) oversaw the exercise, and all data collected will be submitted to the DGCA for review. Supervising personnel included officials from the DGCA, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), NIAL, and the Uttar Pradesh Civil Aviation Department. The test assessed systems such as airspace coordination, communication protocols, emergency response readiness, and runway performance. Previous milestones included the successful calibration of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) in October 2024.

“With the validation flight completed, we are committed to finishing the airport project before the end of April”, said Union Minister for Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu. “Today marks a very important occasion in the progress of the airport and definitely whatever support is required from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, we will continuously provide, so that the early operations from the airport can begin,” he said. The aim is to complete the validation process by December 15, after which the airport concessionaire will apply for an aerodrome license, a key requirement for commercial operations.

Greenfield Airport

This greenfield airport will be the largest in the country. It is located approximately 72 kilometres from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), which, until now, has been the only other international airport in the National Capital Region and is nearing its capacity. Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, currently has 15 operational civil airports.

The airport is being developed through a public-private partnership (PPP) model. It will be owned by Noida International Airport Ltd (NIAL) and operated by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Zurich Airport AG. In June 2022, Tata Projects was awarded the construction tender, with the goal of making it India’s first net-zero emissions airport.

Airport Location

In addition to serving the NCR, the airport will cater to several towns in Uttar Pradesh. It is located 48 kilometres from Greater Noida; 60 kilometres from Noida; 70 kilometres from Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Mathura; approximately 65 kilometres from Aligarh and Gurgaon; and 130 kilometres from Agra. The airport will be connected to the Yamuna Expressway, providing domestic and international tourists with convenient access to Agra, Mathura, and Vrindavan. It is also expected to benefit first-time homebuyers in Greater Noida.

The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) has identified 13,000 acres for the project, with 3,280 acres acquired in the first phase for the construction of terminal buildings and runways. Under the National Capital Region Transport Plan, Hisar Airport, located 190 kilometres northwest of IGIA and 270 kilometres northwest of Noida International Airport (NIA), is being developed as an alternative to IGIA. Additionally, the dual-use IAF airport at Hindon will serve as the nearest diversionary runway.

Initial Conceptualisation

The project was first proposed in 2001 by the then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Rajnath Singh, as a greenfield Taj International and Aviation Hub (TIAH) at Jewar village. The Central government approved the techno-feasibility report for establishing TIAH in April 2003, with plans for completion by 2007–2008. However, the project was put on hold during the UPA regime because the site was within 150 kilometres of the existing greenfield IGIA in Delhi. The IGIA operator, GMR Group, protested against the plans, arguing that the new airport would affect traffic and revenue. GMR also held the right of first refusal (RoFR) for any new airport within 150 kilometres of IGIA, which gave the group preferential bidding rights if its bid price was within 10 per cent of the lowest bidder.

In 2012, the Akhilesh Yadav-led UP government considered shelving the Jewar project and proposed a new international airport in Agra instead. In June 2013, the state government finalised a site in the Firozabad district for the proposed airport. However, in January 2014, the Defence Ministry raised objections to the site. Later, in November 2014, the state government allocated land near Etmadpur, east of Agra. When the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre, the project was shifted back to Jewar.

The Ministry Clearances

The Ministry of Civil Aviation cleared the proposal for the new airport to be established on 2,200 acres in June 2015. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) approved the project in June 2016, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) granted in-principle approval to the Uttar Pradesh government to build the airport in May 2018. Meanwhile, the UP government had to expedite the planning process as the Haryana government was advocating for a similar airport at Hisar.

Land Acquisition and Project Go Ahead

In November 2018, the UP government approved funds for land acquisition. By September 2019, 1,750 acres of land had been acquired. In November 2019, a contract was awarded to Zurich Airport AG for the development and operation of the airport for 40 years. By January 2020, 3,300 acres of land had been acquired. In October 2020, the final agreement was signed between NIAL and Zurich Airport International AG. In February 2021, the master plan for the airport was approved by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), followed by the Central government’s approval in September 2021.

The airport will be developed in four phases, with work on the first phase expected to be completed within 36 months.

Cargo Terminal

For the first time, an airport in India has been conceptualised with an integrated multi-modal cargo hub, aiming to reduce the total cost and time of logistics. The cargo terminal will initially have a capacity of 20 lakh metric tonnes, expandable to 80 lakh metric tonnes. The airport will facilitate the “seamless movement of industrial products” and promote industrial growth in the region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the airport will be North India’s “Logistics Gateway,” helping the state become an export hub and enabling even MSMEs to access overseas markets more easily.

Road Connectivity

Connectivity will be managed through a “multimodal transit hub” featuring metro and high-speed rail, along with taxi and bus services. Additionally, a proposed driverless pod taxi system or personal rapid transit (PRT) will connect the airport to an amusement park included in the planned film city project in Greater Noida. The airport will also link to major roads and highways, including the Yamuna Expressway, Western Peripheral Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway, KGP Expressway, and Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.

Metro and Rail Connectivity

The airport is proposed to connect with the Noida Metro via the Greater Noida route and with the Delhi Metro through the Faridabad–Ballabhgarh–Palwal–Jewar route.

The 71-kilometre Ghaziabad–Jewar RRTS rapid rail line, featuring 11 stations, will be completed in two phases by 2031. The 61-kilometre Palwal–Noida International Airport–Khurja Railway will include a new railway station at Noida airport, linking Palwal on the New Delhi–Mumbai main line and Khurja on the Amritsar–Kolkata line.

The airport will connect to Hisar via the Hisar Airport–NIA–Railway line (HANAR) at Palwal. It will also have direct connectivity with IGIA through the Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) and the Delhi–Jaipur line. Additionally, the airport will feature a station on the High-Speed Railway (HSR) proposed for the Delhi–Varanasi HSR corridor, enabling travel between Delhi and the airport in just 21 minutes.

Among the World’s Largest Airports

With six runways upon full completion, it will be India’s largest airport and among the largest airports in the world. Chicago O’Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth airports are larger, with eight and seven runways respectively. Other existing airports with six runways include Amsterdam, Detroit, Boston, and Denver. As of September 2019, Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, with four runways, has the highest number of runways of any airport in India. Since 2019, there has been a proposal to add two additional runways at Jewar, bringing the total to eight runways upon completion. This is being done keeping future expansion in mind and subject to the availability of land. Such a proposal has been given the green signal by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Airport Passenger Handling Capacity

The airport spans over 1,300 hectares of land in its initial phase, costing approximately Rs 10,050 crore. This phase will create the capacity to serve around 1.2 crore passengers annually. The initial plan includes constructing two runways, with the eventual goal of expanding it into a 7,200-acre (2,900-hectare), six-runway facility. According to the proposed plan, the airport will handle five million passengers per annum (MPA) initially, scaling up to between 60 MPA and 120 MPA over a 30-year period.

Swing Aircraft Stand Concept

The airport is introducing a swing aircraft stand concept, providing flexibility for airlines to operate an aircraft for both domestic and international flights from the same contact stand, without having to re-position the aircraft. This will ensure quick and efficient aircraft turnarounds at the airport while ensuring a smooth and seamless passenger transfer process.

Operational Plans

On February 28, 2022, YIAPL signed an agreement with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for the provision of Air Navigation Services at NIA. The airport was awarded the IATA code “DXN” in September 2023. In July 2023, SITA’s airport management system was selected to enhance operational efficiency and boost collaborative decision-making. YIAPL signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with IndiGo as its launch carrier in November 2023, and Akasa Air joined the list in January 2024. In April 2024, the airport conducted its first calibration test flight of the Doppler Very High-Frequency Omni Range (DVOR) equipment on the runway. In February 2024, BPCL was tasked with constructing an ATF pipeline from Piyala to Noida International Airport. Bird Group was selected for ground handling services in April 2024, and by October 2024, the calibration of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) was successfully completed.

Government’s Vision for the Airport

Once operational, this will be Uttar Pradesh’s fifth international airport, the highest number for any state in India. The other international airports in Uttar Pradesh are located in Lucknow and Varanasi. A third airport was recently inaugurated in Kushinagar, a Buddhist pilgrimage site, and a fourth is under development in Ayodhya, which is being transformed into a tourist hub.

While laying the foundation stone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that the project would significantly boost commerce, connectivity, and tourism. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath remarked that the initial investment of Rs 10,000 crore would eventually rise to Rs 35,000 crore once the airport is fully developed. The airport is set to become Asia’s largest and is expected to generate employment for more than one lakh people. It aligns with PM Modi’s vision of creating a “future-ready aviation sector.”

The airport’s design prioritises passenger convenience, with processes being digitally enabled. Billed as India’s first “net zero emissions” airport, the project also includes a designated area for forest development to offset its environmental impact. “We are ensuring that projects do not get delayed or remain stagnant… we strive to complete infrastructure works within the stipulated time,” PM Modi said.

The writer is Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.