New Delhi, March 6 The DGCA, the aviation watchdog, has granted an aerodrome license for the Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh, the second major airport in the national capital region, which is being developed in four phases.
With the aerodrome license in place, the airport is expected to become operational soon.
The airport is being developed by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, under the Public-Private Partnership model. The concession period is for 40 years, which began on October 1, 2021.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Friday that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted the aerodrome license to YIAPL for the Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh.
"The airport has been licensed under the Public Use category for all-weather operations," the ministry said in a release.
The airport is being developed in four phases along with a multi-modal cargo hub. The airport will have one runway and one terminal in the first phase, with an annual passenger handling capacity of around 12 million.
Upon completion of all the phases, the airport will be capable of handling up to 70 million passengers per year.
The airport was expected to be inaugurated in September 2024, but the development works were delayed due to various reasons.
According to the release, the airport will have a runway with orientation 10/28 and dimensions of 3,900 m × 45 m, supported by an Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Aeronautical Ground Lighting (AGL) system, enabling 24×7 operations.
"The aerodrome has parking stands for 24 Code C and 02 Code D/F aircraft and is equipped with ARFF Category 9 facilities capable of handling wide-body aircraft such as the Boeing 777-300ER," it added.
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said that the development of the Noida International Airport is a major step towards strengthening aviation connectivity for the National Capital Region and Western Uttar Pradesh.
The airport will boost regional economic growth, tourism, and investment while offering a seamless passenger experience by combining Swiss efficiency with Indian hospitality. It will also help ease congestion at existing airports in the region, he said.
On Thursday, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority and Noida International Airport Limited's CEO Rakesh Singh said that the airport has received its security vetting approval from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Friday, said that the airport would begin operations soon.
Currently, Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital is the country's largest airport and handles over 1,300 flight movements daily.
