Noida International Airport Limited: A Game Changer for Uttar Pradesh
Once completed, the Jewar Airport, formally known as the Noida International Airport (NIA), will decongest the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and give a major boost to the economy in Uttar Pradesh, one of the BIMARU states in India. The Jewar Airport will also provide Uttar Pradesh the rare distinction of being the only state in India to have five international airports. The only airport to be conceptualized with an integrated multi-modal cargo hub, the Jewar Airport will also bring UP on the global logistics map.
Serving Multiple Regions
While serving people of Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Agra, Faridabad, and neighboring areas, the Noida International Airport could be a game changer for UP, because of its size and scale.
Inauguration of the Jewar Airport
Operations of the first phase of the Noida International Airport have been postponed to April 2025. It was initially planned to be operational by the end of 2024, but owing to construction delays, the inauguration has been postponed.
With one runway and one terminal with the capacity to handle traffic of 12 million passengers annually, the airport is set to expand significantly. After the completion of the fourth phase, the airport will have the capacity to manage 70 million passengers per year.
Jewar Airport Connectivity
Since the success of the airport depends largely on how easily accessible it would be for people in the NCR, which also has the IGI Airport, many plans are underway to develop a robust connectivity network for the Noida International Airport. It is envisioned to be a multi-modal transit hub, with metro connectivity, high-speed rail stations, taxi, bus services, and private parking.
Impact on the Property Market
Ever since the second airport for Delhi-NCR in Jewar was given an in-principle clearance, developers have been betting big on this otherwise slow-moving real estate area. They are of the view that the upcoming airport would enable the slowdown-hit property market in Noida, Greater Noida, and Yamuna Expressway to not only get out of a prolonged slowdown but also score better over other better-performing markets in the region.
“Besides reducing the congestion at the Delhi Airport, the proposed Jewar airport will generate demand in the real estate sector, in Yamuna Expressway and Greater Noida,” says RK Arora, CMD of Supertech.
“An airport is a long-term project. With the kind of inventory that is available today, the immediate impact may not be that much. However, in the long term, it can be a game changer, provided that industries are also developed in the region,” says Nikhil Hawelia, managing director of the Hawelia Group.
Jewar Airport: Latest News
NIAL Signs MOU with Indigo
The Noida International Airport (NIA) in November signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with private airline IndiGo. With this, IndiGo becomes the inaugural or launch carrier for the airport.
NIAL to Form Monitoring Committee for Quality Control
The Noida International Airport Ltd. (NIAL) is exploring options to form a monitoring committee for quality control and adherence to terms of concession control, mentions a Times Now report. A detailed activity chart will be prepared and monthly progress will be reviewed by this committee. It will also be involved in communication protocol and will be in contact with PWD, NHAI, etc., for connectivity planning and coordination. Phase-1 of the Jewar Airport is expected to start with operations from October 2024. It has a concession period of 40 years from Oct 2021.
UP Notifies Jewar Airport Phase-3 Expansion Plan
The UP government has issued a notification to initiate a social impact assessment for acquiring an additional 2,053 hectares of land for Phase-III expansion of the Jewar Airport. Noida International Airport Limited CEO Arun Vir Singh said the acquisition involved land spanning 14 villages of Jewar, including Thora, Neemka Shahjahanpur, Khwajapur, Ramner, Kishorpur, Banwaribans, Parohi, Mukimpur Shiwara, Jewar Bangar, Sabauta Mustafabad, Ahmadpur Chauroli, Dayanatpur, Bankapur, and Rohi. The Gautam Buddha University is expected to conclude the assessment by August 30. Under Phase-III, three additional runways will be built in addition to the three already planned under the two phases. “This expansion will lead to the development of structural industrial infrastructure, a rise in employment opportunities, and the promotion of manufacturing and exports. Moreover, the airport’s enlargement will facilitate air traffic and foster rapid growth in tourism,” the state government said in a notification issued on July 6.
Noida Airport Will Be Operational by September 2024
If all goes according to plan, the second airport in the national capital region would become operational by September 2024. In recent interviews to the media, Noida International Airport chief executive Christoph Schnellmann said, “September 30, 2024, is the date we are working towards.”
Lying nearly 80 kilometers away from the national capital Delhi, the Noida International Airport is likely to be a game changer by providing a connectivity boost to several key cities of India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh. Aside from pushing up employment and investment opportunities in several cities, the Jewar Airport, which is being developed in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode, will also share the phenomenal air traffic burden taken care of by the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital. Among many other things, the Jewar airport will be the first net zero-emissions airport in its class.
Jewar Airport to Have 5 Runways
The Jewar airport in Noida will have 5 runways instead of the earlier proposed 2, UP finance minister Suresh Khanna said while presenting the state Budget on February 22, 2023. The construction of the second runway will start once the airport achieves 80% of the 12 million passenger per year target. The development of the third, fourth, and fifth runways will begin when the footfall increases from 12 million to 30 million, 50 million, and 70 million, NIAL nodal officer Shailendra Bhatiya said.
Land Acquisition for Jewar Airport Phase-2 to Start Soon
Land acquisition for Phase-2 of the Jewar Airport in Noida is set to start soon with the district administration likely to complete the survey for the land acquisition process by mid-February. Land from 6 villages in Noida is going to be acquired for Phase-2 of the second international airport in the NCR. These villages include Kureb, Dayanatpur, Karauli Bangar, Mudrah, Birampur, and Ranhera. Phase-2 of the Jewar will be developed over an area of 1,365 hectares. Of this, around 1,185 hectares of privately owned land has to be acquired.
Jewar Airport Innovative as Well as Sustainable: Swiss Envoy
The upcoming Noida International Airport would be sustainable as well as innovative, said Swiss ambassador to India Ralf Heckner. “This will be a very important airport not only for UP but also for the greater area of New Delhi. This is the second airport that Zurich airport is building in India. Bangalore and now Noida. It will be a sustainable and very innovative new airport on the Indian soil,” Heckner said.
Authorities to Release Over Rs 1,800 Crores
With 20% of the work on the Jewar airport project complete, the twin authorities in the region plan to release over Rs 1,800 crores for the airport project. Noida Authority, which owns a 37.7% stake in the second airport in the NCR, will release Rs 1,359 crores while Greater Noida Authority, which has a 12.5% share in the airport, will release Rs 453 crores.
“The 17-km boundary wall around the airport site has been completed and the electricity substation with 11kVA capacity is ready. The work progress is on schedule. Some work on the runway, air traffic control building, and terminal building has been completed,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer, NIAL. Work on the project is slated to be over by 2024-end.
Jewar Airport May Be Ready 6 Months Ahead of Schedule
The upcoming Jewar airport may be ready six months ahead of the planned schedule. “The first phase construction is going on in full swing and we are 6 months ahead of schedule,” Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) CEO Arun Vir Singh told Business Standard.
Link Road to Connect Jewar Airport with Delhi-Mumbai Expressway
In a series of tweets on July 8, 2022, road and highways minister Nitin Gadkari announced that the government has approved the building of a 31.425-km road, to link the Jewar Airport with the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
The National Highways Authority of India is in the process of short-listing the company which will build the six-lane link road and is likely to award the project by July-end.
To be built at an estimated cost of Rs 2,415 crores, the link road would start from Ballabhag, on the stretch which is being constructed between KMP Expressway and DND Flyway.
Likely to be ready in two years, the road project will connect the Noida Airport with Agra, Mathura, and the remainder of western Uttar Pradesh, even though most part of the construction work will take place in Haryana.
Tata Projects Wins Bid to Build Jewar Airport
Tata Projects, the infrastructure and construction subsidiary of the Tata Group, has won the bid to build the Jewar Airport in Noida. The company outbid business conglomerates like Shapoorji Pallonji Group and Larsen & Toubro ‘on quality and cost-based selection criteria’ to win the contract to build the second international airport in the NCR – the Noida International Airport.
This is the second airport project to be undertaken by Tata Projects. The company has earlier built the new terminal at the Prayagraj airport in a record 11 months.
With plans firming up towards its construction, the Noida International Airport is likely to become operational by 2024.
“With the award of this EPC contract, our project enters the next phase, which will witness a rapid increase in the pace of construction activities on site. Together with Tata Projects, we are working to deliver a passenger terminal, runway, and other airport infrastructure with a capacity of 12 million passengers annually, by 2024,” YIAPL chief executive officer Christoph Schnellmann said.
“We are proud to be entrusted with the EPC works for the greenfield Noida International Airport at Jewar. Tata Projects will work closely with YIAPL to deliver India’s most advanced and environment-friendly airport on time. We shall deploy the latest technologies in its construction while meeting the highest standards of quality, safety, and sustainability,” said Vinayak Pai, CEO and MD designate, Tata Projects Limited.
YIAPL is a 100% subsidiary of Zurich Airport International, the Swiss company that won the bid to develop the Jewar Airport in 2019.
PM Lays Foundation Stone for Noida International Airport
Earlier, prime minister Narendra Modi, on November 25, 2021, laid the foundation stone for the Jewar Airport in Noida, in a move that would initiate the process to construct what is billed as the country’s biggest airport project. Among the high-profile guests for the grand bhumi poojan ceremony for Noida International Airport – the national capital region’s second airport – was UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
According to projections by Zurich Airport International Asia, the developer of the Jewar Airport, work on Phase-1 of the project could be completed by September 2024. Spread over more than 1,300 hectares of land, phase-1 of the Noida International Airport, which is being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 10,050 crore, will have a capacity to serve around 1.2 crore passengers a year.
Touted to be an infrastructure project that would transform India’s most populous state, the Jewar Airport is being developed in four phases, at an estimated construction cost of around Rs 15,754 crores.
Construction Work for Jewar Airport May Start Before August 2021-End as YEIDA Approves Master Plan
Decks have been cleared for Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd to start the construction work for the airport project within a week.
All formalities to commence the construction of the Jewar Airport have been completed, with the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) giving its approval to the Noida International Airport master plan. Earlier, Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), the nodal agency set up by the Uttar Pradesh government for the Jewar Airport, approved the Jewar Airport master plan. With this, decks have been cleared for the project’s executing company, Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), to start the construction work for the airport project within a week.
Decks Cleared for Jewar Airport Construction, with Financial Closure for Phase-1
Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), on August 11, 2021, said that it had raised Rs 3,725 crore of debt from public lender State Bank of India (SBI), completing the funding for Phase-1 of the Jewar International Airport project, which will be developed on an area of 1,334 hectares, with 5 runways. Consequently, prime minister Narendra Modi may soon lay the foundation stone for the project.
According to a statement by YIAPL, a financing agreement was signed between the YIAPL, SBI, and Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL). “YIAPL has raised Rs 3,725 crores in debt from SBI, to be repaid over a period of 20 years with a one-year moratorium, post completion of the project. This is one of the largest financing in an Indian greenfield airport. The financial close marks another crucial milestone for the project, bringing it closer to the start of construction works,” an official statement said.
Established to develop the Jewar Airport, formally named the Noida International Airport, YIAPL is a 100% subsidiary of Swiss developer Zurich Airport International AG. On the other hand, NIAL is the nodal agency set up by the Uttar Pradesh government for the Jewar Airport.
YIAPL would pay 65% of the Jewar Airport project cost through funding from SBI, while the remaining money would be paid by its parent, Zurich Airport International.
The financial closure for Phase-1 of the Jewar Airport project comes days after the UP government signed a license memorandum on July 31, 2021, formalizing the transfer of land for the construction of the airport in Noida, which is billed to be the country’s biggest airport, upon completion.
During the signing, which had UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath as an attendee, apart from Yamuna International Airport Pvt CEO Christoph Schnellmann, Noida International Airport Limited CEO Arun Veer Singh, and civil aviation director Vishak G Iyer, 1,334 hectares of the Jewar Airport land was handed over from the Noida International Airport Limited to the Yamuna International Airport Pvt Limited.
“Civil aviation is an area of great potential, in terms of generating employment and ensuring economic prosperity. With the establishment of the Jewar Airport, the industrial infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh will be augmented and will create more investment opportunities, besides giving impetus to the tourism sector,” Adityanath said during the virtual ceremony.
Jewar Airport Gets Security Clearance from Aviation Ministry Subsidiary
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has given its clearance to the Jewar International Airport project.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has given its clearance to the Jewar International Airport, on April 14, 2021. Falling under the purview of the Aviation Ministry, the BCAS is the regulatory authority for civil aviation security in India.
“A great news! The security clearance and vetting for Phase I of the Noida International Airport has been received from BCAS also and has already been received from the other regulating authorities,” SP Goyal, additional chief secretary to UP chief minister said, in a tweet.
The development comes a day after Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich AG, which has been appointed to build the airport, floated tenders to start the construction work. To be awarded in two parts, part-1 of the assignment will cover construction, engineering, and procurement of the terminal building while part-2 will cover airside and landside development. The YEIDA will be awarding contracts of over Rs 25 crores through a competitive bidding process while work orders of Rs 25 crores could be offered directly to vendors. The building plan and design for the airport project have been approved by various regulatory bodies.
The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), which is the nodal agency to monitor the project and under which the airport project is being built, has also recently issued a request for proposal (RFP) to recruit an agency for the airport foundation stone-laying program.
The ceremony – the dates have yet to be announced by the YEIDA – will be attended by the prime minister and the UP chief minister. The YEIDA has started the process to empanel agencies that will manage, organize, and execute big-ticket events for the airport project in the future, as well.
Meanwhile, the UP state government has approved the proposal for the acquisition of land for the second phase, under which 1,365 hectares of land will be acquired.
Jewar Airport: UP Government Allots Rs 2,890 Crores for Phase-II Land Purchase
The UP government has allocated Rs 2,890 crores, for the acquisition of 1,365 hectares of land for phase-II of the Jewar International Airport in Noida.
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet, on March 17, 2021, approved a fund allocation to the tune of Rs 2,890 crores, for land acquisition for phase-II of the Jewar International Airport in Noida. The approved grant is meant for the purchase of 1,365 hectares of land for the airport project, touted to be Asia’s biggest, upon completion.
The announcement comes days after a state support agreement was signed between the Yamuna International Airport Private Limited and the Noida International Airport Limited, a subsidiary of the Zurich Airport International, the Swiss developers tasked with the responsibility to construct the mega project.
The fund approved by the cabinet would also cover the cost of resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced people, due to the land acquisition by the government. The Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration has already acquired land of 48 hectares in the Jewar Bangar area, for the rehabilitation of displaced people.
A total of 5,000 hectares of land is required to develop the mega airport project, with six runways, in the Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, in four phases. Land acquisition for phase-I has already been completed, under which more than 1,334 hectares of land was purchased.
In its budget presented on February 17, 2021, the Uttar Pradesh government had also allocated Rs 2,000 crores for the airport project. “A budget of Rs 2,000 crores has been proposed for the Noida International greenfield airport in Gautam Buddh Nagar’s Jewar,” UP finance minister Suresh Khanna said, in his Budget speech, adding that phase-I of the airport project would be operational by 2023.