Noida International Airport: Foundation Stone Laying and Latest Updates
On 25th November 2021, Indian PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the second international airport in Delhi – National Capital Region – the Noida International Airport in Jewar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.
While addressing the ceremony, Indian PM said that the Noida International Airport will provide a major boost to the state’s economy in terms of tourism, export, employment and real estate. He also said that the Noida International Airport will become the logistics gateway of northern India.
Once the construction of all phases is completed, Jewar Airport will be India’s largest airport and is expected to be the third-largest airport in the World and biggest in Asia on the basis of total number of runways.
Noida International Airport will help decongest the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in NCR. Also, once it becomes operational, Uttar Pradesh will have five international airports, the highest for any state in India.
Key Details About Noida International Airport Project
Noida International Airport will be spread over 5,000 hectares of land on the Taj Expressway, between Noida and Agra, it will be developed in four phases and the entire project is estimated to cost ₹ 30,000 crore.
Yamuna International Airport (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, will develop the airport, following are the consultants – Netherlands Airport Consultants, Urban Systems Design, AKTII, SLA, COWI, Alan Thompson, Studio Fractal, AEON Consultants and T2 Consulting.
Land acquisition for the second phase of project had begun in January 2021.
In October 2021, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had begun preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a new metro line linking Knowledge Park II, Greater Noida and Jewar Airport.
Activities Update of Phase 1 of Noida International Airport
For the first phase, ground work regarding land acquisition and rehabilitation of families has been completed. Currently, site preparation works i.e soil leveling & geotechnical investigation etc. are underway.
An area of 1,334 hectares has been earmarked for development of phase-1 of the airport project. The first phase will entail an investment of ₹ 8,914 crore.
Phase-I of the Noida airport project is expected to be completed by September 30, 2024. On completion, the Jewar Airport will cater to 12 million passengers under phase-I.
Cargo Airport at Bhiwadi – Next Big Move in Aviation for India
India’s first cargo airport is also expected to come up at some time in next few years. The Aviation Ministry had approved a Green Field Cargo Airport in Alwar district of Rajasthan in 2018. Among other business, this cargo airport shall help facilitate business on Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and entire industrial catchment area.