50 lakh passengers expected at Noida airport on Day 1: YEIDA CEO Arun Vir Singh

The airport is strategically located at about 72 km from IGI Airport, about 52 km from Noida, about 130 km from Agra and about 90 km from Multi-Modal Logistics Hub (MMLG) at Dadri

The Noida airport, which is being built near Jewar along the Yamuna Expressway, is expected to witness a whopping 50 lakh passengers on the very first day when it will be dedicated to the nation on October 1, 2024.

"We are expecting 5 million passengers on Day One without a single spillover from the IGI (Indira Gandhi International) Airport in Delhi," asserted Noida International Airport Ltd (NIAL) Chief Executive Arun Vir Singh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Noida International Greenfield Airport in November 2021.

"Construction work on NIAL started in June 2021. It was awarded to Tata Projects by Zurich International Airport AG, which is the concessionaire in our case. It's a 100-percent FDI project and construction is to be completed in 1,095 days, meaning three years. So it is well within the timeline. We are monitoring it on a daily basis," Moneycontrol quoted Singh as saying.

The airport is strategically located at about 72 km from IGI Airport, about 52 km from Noida, about 130 km from Agra and about 90 km from Multi-Modal Logistics Hub (MMLG) at Dadri. The authorities are hoping to complete the first phase of the project by the end of September this year.

According to CEO Singh, once ready, the airport will have passenger traffic of around 3 crore in the next five years and in another five years, it would be around 5 crore. "Once the project is complete with all the five runaways and the MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) facility, the total passenger capacity is expected to be 225 million," he said, adding that "this is going to be the biggest airport in Asia."

Spread over an area of 1,334 acre, the NIAL is being developed by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), which is a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG. According to the developer, multi-modal connectivity, an integrated cargo hub and facilities for maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft are among the key features of the master plan for the upcoming Noida International Airport. There are also plans to make it a transit hub.

"At present, we have only 600-odd aircraft in the country. Now we are going to have more than 1,200 additional aircraft, which are going to be purchased by SpiceJet, Indigo and Air India and Vistara. In that scenario, there is a huge possibility that the transit hub can be made here in Jewar and all the Pacific flights can be started from here," he said.

The project will be implemented by NIAL, which is a joint-venture company. The Uttar Pradesh government holds a share of 37.5 percent in the company. Other stakeholders are Noida (37.5 percent), Greater Noida (12.5 percent) and Yamuna Express Industrial Development Authority or YEIDA (12.5 percent).

Talking about Rs 805 crore allotment for the project by the UP government in the recent Budget, Singh said that the amount will be utilised to purchase 1,365 hectare of land for the MRO facility and an additional runway.

The project will be completed in four phases. As per Concession Agreement, the first phase for 12 million passengers per annum is to be completed and made operational within 1,095 days.

A full-fledged MRO facility

The authorities want to have a full-fledged facility in the Noida Airport and talks are on with Airbus, Boeing and others for establishing an MRO facility, a specialized facility where aircraft, engines and other aviation components undergo maintenance, repair and overhaul activities. These facilities are an essential part of the aviation industry and play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and airworthiness of aircraft.

"That's why we are acquiring 1,365 hectare of land for a runway and an MRO facility. We are talking to big companies like Airbus, Boeing and others for establishing an MRO in India. We will come with a global bidding for this phase as well," he said. In addition to it, the NIAL is likely to acquire another 2,085 hectare for the aviation hub and a total of 6,200 hectare are expected to be part of this aviation hub and airport.

He said, "As of now, the IGI airport is being fed by Noida. As much as 55 percent of the total cargo is from here. When we say air cargo, it means the software, electronics, mobile phones, SIM cards and garments. The main IGI cargo is going from Noida and Ghaziabad, so that will automatically shift to Jewar airport and that will help develop the airport into a big cargo hub."

High-speed metro connectivity

The airport will be connected to a high-speed metro network. The 68-km distance will be covered in six stops in 51 minutes. "DMRC has completed its feasibility study. They are now preparing a DPR. One portion of the DPR is already there. This is from Knowledge Park Greater Noida to Jewar. Another part of the DPR, from IGI to Greater Noida, is still in process. We will have the DPR in the next 15-20 days," he informed.

The project will cost Rs 8,000 crore.