Noida airport ‘ready’, PM Modi likely to inaugurate this month: UP CM Yogi Adityanath

Officials familiar with the developments in the project confirmed that the aerodrome licence from the DGCA remains the last major prerequisite.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced on Monday that the Noida International Airport at Jewar is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month.

The Noida International Airport is a major public-private partnership project developed on approximately 1,300 hectares in Jewar, Gautam Budh Nagar. (File/HT Photo)

Speaking at a press conference on the Union Budget, Adityanath stated that the airport is “ready” and that the process of obtaining the crucial aerodrome licence is in its final stages.

“I believe that this month, the airport will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister,” he said.

Once operational, the greenfield airport will become the second international airport in the NCR, poised to significantly decongest passenger traffic at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. It will also be Uttar Pradesh’s fifth international airport, joining Lucknow, Varanasi, Kushinagar, and Ayodhya.

Officials familiar with the developments in the project confirmed that the aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) remains the last major prerequisite.

A review meeting is expected this week between Union civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and the airport management, the officials who asked not to be identified, said. “It is likely that the airport, if the pending issues are resolved, may be inaugurated by March end,” an official said.

The Noida International Airport is a major public-private partnership project developed on approximately 1,300 hectares in Jewar, Gautam Budh Nagar. Awarded in October 2020 to Zurich Airport International AG, it is being built and operated by its Indian subsidiary, Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd, under a 40-year concession. The foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Modi in November 2021.

The first phase, which includes one runway and a passenger terminal, was initially slated to open in September 2024 but has since faced several delays. It is designed to handle an initial capacity of 12 million passengers annually, with expansion planned in subsequent phases. The state government oversees the project through its special purpose vehicle, Noida International Airport Ltd (NIAL).

The airport moved closer to operational readiness on October 31, 2025, when it successfully conducted a mandatory calibration flight. An Air India aircraft landed at the airport around 11,20am, conducting tests over several hours to validate navigation and communication systems. This test is a critical step toward certification, ensuring all systems meet international safety standards, officials explained.

A NIAL officer, who also asked not to be identified, said, “The aircraft came from IGI Airport, and landed after going around the airport four-five times… Now credential authentication technology will be installed for the safety and security paving way for the operations.”