Noida International Airport Inaugurated By Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25th November 2021, laid the foundation stone for the grand inauguration of the Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.

Notably, the first phase of the airport is spread over more than 1300 hectares of land. Subsequently, the flight operations are scheduled to begin by 2024. Once completed, the airport is also deemed to be the largest airport in Asia. Also, Noida International Airport will be the 5th international airport of Uttar Pradesh and the 2nd of Delhi NCR.

Key points of Noida International Airport Inauguration

1. On the morning of 25th November, 2021, PM Modi tweeted, “25th November is a major day for India’s and Uttar Pradesh’s strides in infra creation. At 1 pm the foundation stone of the Noida International Airport will be laid. This project will significantly boost commerce, connectivity and tourism,”.
2. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said he expects investments of over ₹10,000 crores after the first phase. Additionally, ₹35,000 crores will be invested once the airport is fully built. Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has claimed that Noida airport will be Asia’s largest airport. Also, it will generate employment opportunities for more than one lakh people.
3. As per the latest reports, the centre said the development of the airport was in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of creating a “future-ready aviation sector”. The centre also claimed a “special focus” on UP.
4. The airport will be about 72 km from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. It will be about 40 km from Noida. It will be spread over 1,300 hectares and work on the first (of four) phases is due to be over by 2024 with an estimated cost of ₹10,500 crores.
5. The airport, however, has run into controversy over protests from farmers whose lands had been acquired for construction. They have camped in tents 700 metres from the airport.
6. Connectivity will be handled by a “multimodal transit hub” with metro and high-speed rail, as well as taxi and bus services. Noida and Delhi will be linked via “hassle-free metro services”.  On the other hand, major roads will link the airport to other cities.

7. Fully operational, the Noida International Airport is expected to serve around 1.2 crore passengers per year. Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Agra, Faridabad, and nearby areas are set to benefit. Further, it will decongest traffic in and around IGI airport.

8. The cargo terminal will have a capacity of 20 lakh metric tonnes. This can be expanded up to 80 lakh metric tonnes. The Noida airport would facilitate “seamless movement of industrial products” and help boost industrial growth in the region. It has also been billed as India’s first ‘net zero emissions’ airport.

9. “The design of the airport focuses on the convenience of passengers. Processes at the airport will be digitally enabled. We’re working towards being a net-zero carbon emission airport and aim to be operational by September or October 2024,” Kiran Jain, the chief operating officer of the airport, said.