Noida Airport to handle 10 flights boarding at once — Set for September 15 launch

Noida International Airport.

The Noida International Airport, touted as Asia’s largest upon completion, is inching closer to its latest operational deadline of September 15 this year after three revisions in the airport’s opening timeline.

According to a report by Jagran, the upcoming terminal building will be capable of handling boarding for 10 flights simultaneously.

In its initial phase, the airport will have an annual capacity of 12 million passengers, which will increase to 30 million once the second phase is completed.

According to a report by The Indian Express, over 90 per cent of the airport’s construction work has been completed, with around 85 per cent of the terminal building now ready.

Remaining tasks are expected to be finalised by September 15, 2025, according to NIAL CEO Rakesh Kumar Singh, although no official inauguration date has been confirmed yet.

A phased timeline presented by the concessionaire, Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), in a review meeting, had envisaged domestic and cargo operations by September 15, with international flights to follow in November.

Multiple deadlines missed

Despite pressing ahead, the airport has missed several deadlines, initially slated for September 2024, then pushed to April 2025, and yet again to May–June this year.

The State’s Industrial Development Minister, Nand Gopal Gupta, has now set expectations for phased operations: domestic and cargo services by mid-September, and international flights from November 2025 onwards.

During a review meeting of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), Gupta declared, “The airport is set to be fully completed by Nov this year. It will be the largest airport in Asia and the fourth largest in the world.”

Key infrastructure, such as runways, airside works, passenger terminal roofing and interior outfitting, road interchanges, ATC building, and CNS/ATM systems, has advanced significantly.

According to a report by TOI, while the overall project is around 90 per cent done, critical approvals from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) remain pending.

TOI also highlighted that the Uttar Pradesh government, in a move to keep pressure on the concessionaire, has imposed a daily penalty of Rs 10 lakh since January 1 for delays.

This is being seen as a bid to push the project to completion without further extensions.

Once complete, the 1,334-hectare Noida airport will be the National Capital Region’s second major commercial airport after Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. Hindon airport in Ghaziabad, which operates limited commercial flights under the Air Force's purview, is currently NCR's only other active air link.