Noida International Airport commenced commercial flight operations on Monday, marking a significant milestone for the greenfield project in Jewar. An IndiGo flight from Lucknow became the airport’s first commercial landing, touching down to a traditional water cannon welcome before departing for Bengaluru later that morning.
In a symbolic touch, around 170 farmers from the Jewar region, including 20 women, who had voluntarily given up their ancestral land for the airport’s development, were among the passengers on the inaugural flight to Lucknow. The group is also expected to meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during their visit.
Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu was present for the launch, interacting with passengers and distributing commemorative boarding passes. He spoke of ambitions extending well beyond a conventional transport hub, describing plans for the airport to develop into an aerotropolis that draws multiple industries and builds a strong economic base with both domestic and international reach.
The airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28. Located in Jewar, it has been developed to ease pressure on Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport while positioning itself as a major aviation and cargo hub for northern India.
