The first phase of the Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh’s Jewar was inaugurated on Saturday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The airport is set to become the largest in India once fully built, with the capacity to handle 225 million passengers each year, officials said.
The Noida International Airport will function as the main international hub for cities including Noida, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Mathura and Agra. It will also provide access to several religious and tourist spots.
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The big question now when will flight operations begin? Notably, the airport, which is finally inaugurated after multiple delays to the launch, has already received its aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), a crucial step before operations can begin.
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When were flight operations expected to begin?
- The project has seen repeated delays. It was first planned for September 2024, then pushed to mid-2025 for inauguration and operations to be followed later.
- In 2025, flights were expected to start from Noida airport on April 17, 2025, with around 30 flights planned to different destinations worldwide. Back then, officials had told HT that 25 of these planned flights would be domestic, three international and two cargo. The international routes included Zurich, Singapore and Dubai. Domestic routes were planned for Lucknow, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Dehradun, Hubli and others.
- The inauguration was later rescheduled to October 30, 2025, with operations expected to begin within 45 days, initially linking at least 10 cities.
When will commercial flights begin now?
- The DGCA issued the aerodrome licence to the airport on March 6, 2026. After this approval, cargo and domestic flights were expected to start within 45 days, as per the project plan.
- This suggests that commercial flight services may begin between mid-April and May 2026.
- International flight services are likely to begin from September this year, officials told HT earlier.
- Bookings for international flights will open around 90 days before the airport starts operations, while domestic tickets will be available about six weeks ahead.
How many flights will take off in the first phase? Which locations will be covered?
- There is no confirmed number yet on how many flights will operate from Noida airport or which destinations will be included in the first phase.
- However, as officials told HT earlier, domestic flights are likely to start first to major metro cities. These may include Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other cities, as planned.
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