Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Monday interacts with farmers and their family members travelling on the inaugural commercial flight from Noida International Airport, acknowledging their contribution to the development of the airport and the region’s emergence as a major aviation hub.
The interaction took place following the formal commencement of commercial flight operations at Noida International Airport in Jewar. The farmers belong to families that voluntarily contributed land for the airport’s construction.
Addressing the gathering, Naidu said the farmers who contributed land for the project would travel on the airport’s inaugural flight to Lucknow, where a special interaction with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been organised.
“The farmers who contributed land for this airport will travel on its inaugural flight to Lucknow, where a special interaction with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been organised. This airport will serve as a hub for both domestic and international operations. Once completed, Jewar Airport is set to become one of the largest airports in Asia,” the minister said.
He also outlined the airport’s long-term expansion plans, stating that operations would begin with an annual passenger handling capacity of 1.2 crore. “The terminal will be expanded once that capacity is saturated. By the fourth phase, we aim to increase the capacity to 7 crore passengers per year,” he added.
Calling the launch a historic occasion, Naidu said, “Today is a day of great joy and a historic milestone as the first flight prepares to depart from Noida International Airport. Under the guidance of Yogi Adityanath ji, special arrangements have been made for 170 farmers who contributed their land to this project to travel on this inaugural flight to Lucknow.”
He added that flight operations to Bengaluru and other destinations had also commenced, with services to four destinations being launched from the airport on the opening day. “There is a great deal of emotion and excitement here today for an airport that is destined to be among the top five in the country,” he said.
Around 170 farmers from the Jewar region, including 20 women, travelled on the inaugural flight to Lucknow. The delegation, led by Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh, is scheduled to meet Chief Minister Adityanath and express gratitude for the state’s development initiatives and the establishment of the airport, which is expected to boost connectivity and economic activity in the region, according to an official release.
Meanwhile, the first scheduled IndiGo flight, 6E-2278, arrived at Noida International Airport from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow. After landing in Jewar, the flight continued to Bengaluru, where it was scheduled to arrive at 11:05 a.m.
Positioned as a major international gateway for the National Capital Region (NCR), Noida International Airport is expected to strengthen India’s aviation infrastructure and enhance regional and global connectivity. Developed as the second international airport serving the Delhi-NCR region, it will complement operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Among India’s largest greenfield airport projects, the first phase of the airport has been developed at an investment of approximately Rs 11,200 crore under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the airport features a 3,900-metre runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft and is equipped with modern navigation systems, including an Instrument Landing System (ILS) and advanced airfield lighting, enabling efficient all-weather, round-the-clock operations.
(With ANI inputs)
