Commercial operations have commenced at the Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh’s Jewar, with inaugural flights to and from Lucknow and Bengaluru, and a charter flight to the state capital carrying farmers.
Civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu flagged off the charter and the first flight to Bengaluru, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of an airport catering to a huge catchment area has become a reality.
Naidu congratulated the farmers who gave their land for the facility, describing it as an important and prestigious project.
The first charter flight carrying farmers to Lucknow was Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s idea, said Naidu, adding it is a symbol of respect for the farmers.
The Noida International Airport has a huge catchment area and can cater to the historic city of Agra due to the expressway network and the proposed high-speed rail corridor, said Naidu.
He noted that wherever an airport begins operations, there is a huge economic activity that builds up around it, and the government is keen to have multiple industries come around Jewar, creating a strong economic base and jobs.
Noida International Airport vice-chairman Christoph Schnellmann said years of planning, collaboration, and dedicated effort by tens of thousands of people have made the new airport a reality.
The airport has been built through the vision and support of the Uttar Pradesh and the Union governments, partners, stakeholders, and the local communities.
The airport includes a cargo hub with an initial handling capacity of over 250,000 metric tonnes annually, expandable to around 1.8 million metric tonnes, and an initial passenger handling capacity of 12 million passengers per annum, scalable up to 70 million.
