Noida International Airport launches commercial operations with inaugural flights

Commercial operations have officially launched at Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh, marking a significant milestone for aviation in the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport commenced services on Monday with inaugural flights connecting to Lucknow and Bengaluru.

Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu officiated the launch, flagging off the first flights. He highlighted that the airport, a vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will serve a vast catchment area and become a reality. Naidu specifically acknowledged the farmers who provided their land for the project, calling the first charter flight to Lucknow, carrying these farmers, a "symbol of respect" and an idea from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

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It is a symbol of respect that we want to give to the farmers so they meet the chief minister.

Naidu described the Noida International Airport as another "jewel" in the NCR's crown, complementing existing airports in Delhi and Hindon. He emphasized the airport's potential to serve historic cities like Agra due to its connectivity via expressways and a proposed high-speed rail corridor. The minister stressed that airports drive significant economic activity and that the government aims for Noida International Airport to become a true "Aerotropolis," a sub-region centered around the airport, attracting industries and creating jobs.

Christoph Schnellmann, Vice-Chairman of Noida International Airport, noted the extensive planning and collaboration involving tens of thousands of people that led to the airport's realization. He credited the vision and support of the Uttar Pradesh and Union governments, partners, stakeholders, and local communities. The airport, inaugurated in March by Prime Minister Modi, is the NCR's second international airport. It features a cargo hub with an initial capacity of over 250,000 metric tonnes annually, expandable to 1.8 million metric tonnes. The passenger handling capacity is set at 12 million passengers per annum, scalable to 70 million. The first phase, costing an estimated ₹11,200 crore, is designed as a multi-modal transport hub with road, rail, and metro connectivity, supported by advanced security systems.

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...it is the vision of the state government and also the government of India ...to see Noida International Airport grow as... a hub for transportation...it has to be in a true sense an Aerotropolis [subregion centered around an airport].