Noida International Airport Opens to Commercial Flights, Marking New Aviation Era
Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar officially began commercial operations on Monday, with an IndiGo flight from Lucknow becoming the first aircraft to land at the airport.
Flight 6E 2278 departed from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow at 7.12 am and touched down at Jewar at 7.58 am, officials said. The airport's first departure followed shortly after at 8.19 am, when the same aircraft flew back to Lucknow carrying villagers from the Jewar region whose land was acquired for the airport's first phase.
Among those on board were Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh , YEIDA CEO Rakesh Singh , Additional CEO Shailendra Bhatia , and former Jewar SDM Abhay Singh .
According to officials, around 170 farmers from the Jewar region , including 20 women, were part of the inaugural delegation. These farmers had voluntarily contributed their ancestral lands for the airport project and were scheduled to meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow to express gratitude for the development initiative.
The airport's first regular commercial service is set to operate on the Jewar-Bengaluru route, marking the beginning of scheduled passenger operations at India's newest greenfield airport .
Spread across 1,334 hectares in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, the airport received its aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on March 6. It was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28, during which he also laid the foundation stone for a 40-acre Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) subsequently cleared the airport's Aerodrome Security Programme, paving the way for the launch of commercial services.
The first phase of the project has been developed at an investment of approximately Rs 11,200 crore under a public-private partnership model. The airport is being operated by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) , a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG .
In its current phase, the airport can handle 12 million passengers annually , with long-term expansion plans expected to raise capacity to 70 million passengers per year once all development phases are completed.
IndiGo will serve as the anchor airline during the initial phase, operating flights to major cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Goa, Jaipur, and Kolkata . Akasa Air and Air India Express are also expected to begin services soon, while international operations are planned later this year.
Assigned the IATA code DXN , the airport has been positioned as a second aviation hub for the National Capital Region (NCR) , offering an alternative to the increasingly congested Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. Plans are also underway for a 21-minute high-speed rail connection linking the airport to the national capital.
Industry observers believe the airport could significantly boost economic activity across western Uttar Pradesh , generating employment, strengthening regional industries, improving cargo movement, and easing pressure on Delhi's aviation infrastructure while enhancing connectivity across northern India.