Government thanks farmers for successful airport project

The airport in Jewar, located 35km from Greater Noida along the Yamuna Expressway, is expected to have eight runways once fully completed, and will be double the size of Delhi airport

On Monday, after the maiden test flight landed safely at the upcoming Noida international airport in Greater Noida’s Jewar, minister of civil aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Gautam Budh Nagar member of Parliament Dr Mahesh Sharma, and Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh MLA thanked farmers who gave up their land for the airport, which is slated to become operational by April 2025.

Under Phase 1, the airport has been developed on 1,334 hectares and operations will commence by end-April 2025. It is being developed in four phases at a cost of ₹29,650 crore. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

“We want to thank the farmers who gave up their land, paving the way for the successful and smooth completion of this project,” said Naidu, who then went on to express his gratitude to the workers who toiled on making the airport a reality.

The airport in Jewar, located 35km from Greater Noida along the Yamuna Expressway, is expected to have eight runways once fully completed, and will be double the size of Delhi airport, which is estimated to reach its saturation point by 2024, said Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) officials.

Once all phases are completed, Jewar airport will be counted among the largest airports in the world, alongside O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, United States, which is spread across 7,200 acres and has seven active runways, according to the airport’s website.

The Noida international greenfield airport project at Jewar will cover 14,826 acres (6,000 hectares) and will have eight runways once all phases are complete, said NIAL officials.

“Under Phase 1, the airport has been developed on 1,334 hectares and operations will commence by end-April 2025. The airport is being developed in four phases at a cost of ₹29,650 crore. The first phase, costing ₹10,056 crore, is designed to cater to 12 million passengers annually. Zurich International AG will manage the airport for the next 40 years,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer, NIAL and the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority.

For the second phase, we are acquiring a total of 1363.45 hectares and the process is already underway. If farmers had not supported us, then smooth progress on this mega project would not have been possible,” said Singh.

MLA Dhirendra Singh said the Uttar Pradesh government will not forget the contribution of farmers, who gave up their land without creating any trouble.

“There are several mega projects that could not be developed because farmers did not cooperate. But the farmers in Jewar area wholeheartedly supported this project because they wanted a bright future for their children and a better future for the region. When we approached farmers for their land for the airport, they gave their consent without any delay,” said MLA Singh.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath also thanked a delegation of farmers for their contribution to the project.