Prime Minister Modi to lay the foundation stone of Noida airport on November 25

The upcoming airport will be the National Capital Region’s third, after the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and the civilian terminal at Ghaziabad’s Hindon airport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Noida international airport project at Jewar along the Yamuna Expressway on November 25, officials aware of the development said on Monday.

Top officials visited the airport site on Monday to finalise it for the event. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT)

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), the nodal agency implementing the ambitious project, to prepare for the event, the officials said.

NIAL’s chief executive officer Arun Vir Singh, Meerut division commissioner Surendra Singh, Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Suhas LY and Gautam Budh Nagar police commissioner Alok Singh and other top officials visited the airport site on Monday to finalise the site for the Prime Minister’s event.

“We visited four sites--two in Ranhera village and one each in Rohi and Banwaribas--to finalise where the event could take place. We have started all arrangements,” said Arun Vir Singh, CEO of NIAL. Officials who asked not to be named said Banwaribas has been finalised for the event but senior administration officials could not confirm it.

At least 150,000 people are expected to attend the foundation stone-laying, according to NIAL’s plan. It has empanelled four agencies to help organise the event.

“We will start the cleaning and levelling work at the site. And, we will select one of the four empanelled agencies in the next two days so that the work can proceed further,” said Singh.

The upcoming airport is billed to be the largest in India, and will be the National Capital Region’s third, after the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and the civilian terminal at Ghaziabad’s Hindon airport. In December 2020, the Uttar Pradesh government approved the design of the airport at Jewar.

A special purpose vehicle -- Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) -- has started work on the boundary wall of the airport, which is expected to become operational by 2024, said officials.