Noida airport to begin international flights by year-end: CEO Nitu Samra | Interview

Noida International Airport (NIA) is set to launch commercial operations on June 15, marking a significant step for air travel in the region. Airport CEO Nitu Samra highlighted the airport's strategic location and excellent connectivity via the Yamuna Expressway, offering signal-free access within 25 minutes from Greater Noida and 45 minutes from Noida. Various transport options, including taxis, app-based cabs, and bus services from different cities and states, will be available to cater to diverse passenger needs and budgets.

International operations are slated to begin by the end of the year. Initially, the airport will handle a few destinations with around six flights daily, ramping up to over 20 destinations from July onwards. As operations stabilize, more routes will be added throughout the year. For its first financial year, NIA anticipates serving between 4.5 to 5 million passengers, with further growth expected as services expand.

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We expect international operations to begin by the end of the year. On June 15, we will start with a few destinations and around six flights a day. From July onwards, this will be ramped up to more than 20 destinations. As operations stabilise, more destinations will be added through the year. In terms of footfall for our first financial year, we expect traffic to be in the range of 4.5 to 5 million passengers. As operations expand, we expect further growth and will continue to provide updates.

IndiGo will be the first airline to commence operations on June 15, followed by Akasa on June 16. The airport is also in active discussions with Air India and Air India Express, anticipating their services to start soon. Despite headwinds in the domestic aviation industry and global challenges like the West Asia crisis, NIA leadership remains confident in India's aviation growth prospects. They navigated major disruptions during the airport's development, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and are optimistic about the sector's remarkable rebound and future potential.

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We are incredibly confident about the growth prospects for aviation in India. During the development of this airport, we navigated several major disruptions, starting with the Covid-19 pandemic. We saw air traffic rebound remarkably quickly after that. We then witnessed the war in Ukraine, and now the West Asia crisis, which has significantly disrupted aviation globally. Clearly, the West Asia crisis makes things more challenging. We have seen airlines reduce capacity and lower traffic expectations… It is difficult to predict the long-term impact… But we remain confident in the