First Passenger Flight From Noida International Airport To Take Off In April 2025: CEO

The under-construction Noida International Airport at Jewar will see first passenger flight take off starting April next year, according to Chief Executive Officer Christoph Schnellmann.

"We will apply for an aerodrome licence by the end of this year after having completed the regulatory requirements, which include the calibration and validation flights," he told NDTV Profit. "Most of the runway work is done. Calibration flights are scheduled for Sept-Oct, followed by validation flights in December. We are confident that the commercial operations will begin by the end of April 2025."

A calibration flight for a new airport verifies and fine-tunes navigation aids, runway lighting, and airspace, ensuring safety and accuracy before commercial operations commence. 

A validation flight, on the other hand, is when the aircraft is flown to confirm that the systems not only work but also meet the required specifications and standards. This flight assesses performance to ensure operation meets real-world conditions.

As per the latest update shared by the airport, the 3.9 km long northern runway, that is being built under the first phase, has been constructed. The work on runway markings will begin in the next 10 days and over 1,000 lights will be installed within the next one month.

Work on façades and roof is underway, and installation of baggage handling system is nearing completion. The airport will have a fully electric fleet of ground service equipment including aircraft pushback tractors and cargo loaders. And the passengers will be offered a paperless digital-driven experience. Key aero concessions, including into-plane fuelling services, ground handling, and cargo, have been awarded, while non-aero concessions for retail, dining, lounge, duty-free, and hotel have also been signed. Check-in kiosks, self-service bag drops, and e-gates are being tested.

Agreements for crucial operational and maintenance services, including airfield lighting, passenger boarding bridges, lifts and escalators, have been signed.

The construction of what will be the country's largest greenfield airport began two years ago and is progressing steadily. However, the operational launch has been delayed. The first phase, originally set to open this September, faced setbacks due to delays in delivery of equipment and raw materials such as structural steel amid global supply chain woes.

"Supplies [of structural steel] remain a challenge, but together with our partners, Tata projects, we've been working to increase the capacity to produce these elements," he said.

kmkms from Delhi, this will be the second international airport in the National Capital Region, complementing Indira Gandhi International Airport. 

The first phase of the airport will feature one runway and one terminal, with the capacity to handle traffic of 12 million passengers annually. Upon completion of all four development phases, the airport will be able to cater to 70 million passengers per year.

NIA has also signed agreements with IndiGo and Akasa for flight connections, and network planning and operational requirements under discussion. "We continue to be in talks with other domestic and international carriers," the CEO said.

The airport is being developed by the Yamuna International Airport Pvt., a fully-owned subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG. The concession period for Noida International Airport commenced on October 2021, and will run for 40 years.