The Delhi-National Capital Region is all set to receive its second international airport. Jewar International Airport is now three years away from completion and will have the capacity to serve 70 million passengers at full capacity. We take a look at this upcoming airport and who it will serve.

Coming up

Thursday marked the ceremonial beginning of Jewar Airport, officially known as the Noida International Airport. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid down the foundation stone of the project, kicking off a decades-long process to build a second airport in the Delhi-NCR region and expand it to make it the biggest in the country.

First, it's essential to understand where Noida International Airport lies. The airport lies southeast of central Delhi, Gurgaon, and Noida and is almost at the halfway point to Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. The new development is a whopping 90 kilometers (55 miles) from Delhi Airport and 85 kilometers from the center of the city.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Lays Foundation Stone For Jewar International Airport
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid down the foundation stone of the project last year. Photo: Getty Images

However, distance is not always a bad thing. One of the big focuses of the Noida Airport project is connectivity. The airport will be connected to the Delhi Metro system, one of the most modern in the world, and is located just off the Yamuna Expressway, which makes journeys from central Delhi a matter of 90 minutes.

For reference, Tokyo Narita is 75 kilometers from the city center, while Kuala Lumpur International is 65 kilometers from its namesake city. However, quick connectivity ensures that passengers don't feel the pain of traveling such long distances.

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Serving the community

While Indira Gandhi International Airport has made travel easier for those in Delhi and Gurgaon, it has left out many communities in the wider National Capital Region (NCR). Jewar Airport's location in Uttar Pradesh gives easy access to the residents of Noida, surrounding cities, and to industrial hubs in the region.

While IGI will remain the flagship airport, Jewar will slowly grow its reach. The first phase, set to open in late September 2024, will see the construction of two runways and a terminal for 12 million travelers. However, by the fourth phase, the airport is hoping to gain 70 million yearly passengers and five active runways, the most in the country.

Airport_Forecourt
Zurich Airport International AG won the contract to construct Noida International in late 2019. Photo: ZAI

While the development of the project might seem slow, this comes at a huge benefit. Unlike Delhi, which has been forced to grow as passenger demand rose, Jewar Airport is well-equipped for increasing traffic. This means the airport is likely to be better designed and offer seamless inter-terminal connectivity to passengers.

For now, we are under three years away from seeing the first flights land at Noida International. While delays are very possible, millions of residents will be excited to know that there is a new airport coming up in the future that will make travel easier.

What do you think about Jewar Airport? Let us know in the comments!