March 28, Jewar – Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Noida International Airport on Saturday, developed at a cost of ₹11,200 crore at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh.
Located along the Yamuna Expressway, the airport is designed as a multi-modal hub with seamless connectivity to road, rail, metro, and regional transport networks. It will initially handle 12 million passengers annually, with the potential to expand to 70 million.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for a 40-acre Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility. The airport's cargo infrastructure includes a multi-modal cargo hub with an integrated terminal, capable of handling over 2.5 lakh metric tonnes annually, with expansion potential up to 18 lakh metric tonnes.
Describing the project as a step towards a “Developed UP, Developed India”, PM Modi said the airport will benefit districts such as Agra, Mathura, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Etawah, and Faridabad, creating opportunities for farmers, MSMEs, and youth.
Recalling the project's origins, PM Modi said it received in-principle approval during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, but remained delayed for years. And as soon as the current government was formed, the foundation was laid, construction happened, and now it has started operations.
Speaking about the current global situation, the Prime Minister observed that the entire world is deeply concerned today, with a war raging in West Asia for over a month, creating crises of essential commodities including food, petrol, diesel, gas, and fertilizers in many countries.
He noted that India imports a very large quantity of crude oil and gas from the conflict-affected region. "The Government is taking every possible step to ensure that the burden of this crisis does not fall on ordinary families and farmers," affirmed PM Modi. Underscoring India's continued momentum of rapid development even during times of global crisis.