The foundation stone for the Noida International Airport was laid down on Thursday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Jewar, Uttar Pradesh. It will be one of the largest aerodromes in Asia.
The airport, spread over 1,330 acres of land, will be developed by Zurich Airport International AG. The second international aerodrome in Delhi-National Capital Region, the airport is expected to be operational by September 2024 with an initial capacity to handle 1.2 crore passengers per annum.
On Wednesday, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the Noida International Airport is set to “become one of the largest airports in Asia.”
The first phase of the aerodrome is being done at a cost of more than ₹ 10,050 crores, and the groundwork regarding land acquisition and rehabilitation of the affected families has been completed, an official release said on Tuesday.
It will be the fourth largest international airport in the world and the project would create more than one lakh job opportunities, according to the Uttar Pradesh government.
The airport at Jewar will help decongest the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in the national capital. It is strategically located and will serve the people of cities including Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Agra, Faridabad and neighbouring areas, the release said.
The airport will also be the country’s “first net zero emissions airport”.
PM Modi highlighting the development activities in the poll-bound state said that the new airport will help the state become an export-centre whereby even MSMEs will have easier access to overseas markets. He added that the Noida International Airport is destined to become the logistics gateway for North India.