The Noida International airport in Jewar is likely to be inaugurated in May, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday.
“We are on track for the inauguration of the Noida airport, and will launch it in May,” Naidu told HT.
The minister’s remark comes days after HT on March 7 reported that commercial operations at the airport, which were earlier scheduled to start on April 17, were set to be delayed as the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will issue the aerodrome licence only by April 30.
At least two officials aware of the developments told HT that the airport is currently gearing for a final inspection by DGCA to get the aerodrome licence, and it is likely to be inaugurated on May 15.
“The AIP (aeronautical information publication) is effective May 15, which means that the airport will be inaugurated anytime from May 15 till the month end. Commencement of regular commercial flight operations may take some more time,” one of the officials said, on condition of anonymity.
An AIP is a legal and authentic declaration by the government of India of an airport coming into existence, for the public at large and the aviation industry in particular.
HT has seen the AIP issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
“Publishing of the AIP is moving a step closer to receiving the aerodrome licence for the airport. The DGCA will now conduct an inspection before issuing the aerodrome licence. There will be an inspection from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) as well,” the official said.
Spread across 1,334 hectares, the Noida international airport — a flagship project of the Uttar Pradesh government — is situated in Jewar, around 35km from Greater Noida along the Yamuna Expressway. It will be the third commercial airport in the National Capital Region (NCR) after Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport and the Hindon airport in Ghaziabad.
The foundation stone for the project was laid in November 2021, and the validation flight — a crucial step to verify an airport’s approach procedures, the accuracy and functionality of its navigational aids, and air traffic control systems — was successfully completed in December last year.
A second official aware of the matter said that the construction of the terminal building at the Noida airport is currently behind schedule.
“The air side of the airport is ready. However, work related to the terminal building is the main area that needs to be focused on, and is running behind schedule. The pending interiors of the airport building are why flights will begin at a later date, much after the date of inauguration,” the second official said.
“We are in talks with the government to finalise a date for inauguration,” the official said.