Noida International Airport begins operations today; first flight to land at 8:05 am

The return flight –- IndiGo’s 6E-2279 –- will depart from the Noida airport at 6.55pm and reach Lucknow at 8pm.

The Noida International Airport in Jewar is set to begin operations on Monday as its inaugural flight –- from Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport –- will land at 8.05am, officials confirmed.

Notably, the NIAL announced last week that the first cargo flight from the airport will take off on June 17. (HT Archive)

The return flight –- IndiGo’s 6E-2279 –- will depart from the Noida airport at 6.55pm and reach Lucknow at 8pm. Airport officials said that while the inaugural flight will operate on Monday, regular flights on the route are expected to commence later.

The Uttar Pradesh assembly speaker Satish Mahana, UP chief secretary SP Goyal and other ministers are likely to take the first flight from Lucknow to Noida airport, officials said, adding that all tickets for this flight are sold out.

Union civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh, Gautam Budh Nagar MP Dr Mahesh Sharma, along with officials of NIAL and the Yamuna Authority, will be present to receive the inaugural flight on Monday, said Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) officials.

Notably, the NIAL announced last week that the first cargo flight from the airport will take off on June 17.

Relief for Noida, Lucknow travellers

Currently, most travellers between Noida and Lucknow rely on flights from and to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, or a road journey.

The new air link is seen as a key step in strengthening UP’s aviation network and supporting economic integration between the state’s administrative and commercial centres.

“The launch of this flight is expected to be followed by similar services from other airlines, strengthening connectivity between the state capital and commercial centres such as Noida,” Lucknow airport spokesperson said.

Shailendra Bhatia, nodal officer NIAL told HT, “It is an emotional moment for me personally being associated with the project from the first day. It is a historic day when the first flight will land at the Noida International Airport. The airport has put in place security arrangements in accordance with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security’s (BCAS) standard operating procedures.”

“Zurich and the NIAL team are ready to welcome the inaugural flight and passengers. The first inbound flight will be from Lucknow to Noida while the first outbound flight will be from Noida airport to Lucknow,” Bhatia said.

According to officials, a multi-layered security system, AI-based surveillance, and nearly 1,030 personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) have been deployed at the airport for enhanced security. Further, the UP Police has started a dedicated airport police station.

A team of police personnel, including one inspector, one senior sub-inspector, 20 head constables, 33 constables, and five women constables, has been deployed, officials said.

The area is under high-resolution CCTV cameras to monitor the airport and runway in real time, using facial recognition, behaviour analysis, and automatic detection of suspicious activities.

Dog squad teams have also been deployed, along with a dedicated firefighting unit, a medical emergency response team, and a quick reaction team, officials said.