While Navi Mumbai opens, Noida International Airport delays mount; commercial flights now expected in 2026

The Rs 6,500-crore Jewar project has missed four deadlines and cannot start operations without DGCA aerodrome licence and security clearance for its foreign CEO.

Even as Adani-owned Navi Mumbai International Airport began commercial operations on Monday, Noida International Airport at Jewar has missed yet another deadline, with commercial flights now expected only in 2026, according to a report by Mint.

The airport, planned as the second international gateway in the National Capital Region after Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, is yet to secure an aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and mandatory security clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs for its foreign chief executive officer, the report said. Both approvals are required before commercial operations can begin.

Built on a 1,334-hectare site at Jewar, around 90 km from Delhi’s IGI Airport, the project was originally slated for completion in September 2024. The deadline was later shifted to April and then June 2025, followed by several unofficial revisions, Mint reported.

The most recent official timeline was announced in September, when civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said the airport would be inaugurated on 30 October, with commercial operations to begin within 45 days. Since then, officials have said the focus has shifted to achieving full operational readiness by the end of 2025.

“We are currently working towards the next major milestone, which is the issuance of the aerodrome license by the DGCA,” Christoph Schnellmann, chief executive of Noida International Airport, told Mint. Schnellmann is a Swiss national. An aerodrome licence certifies that an airport’s infrastructure, systems and procedures meet safety standards for commercial aircraft operations.

Separately, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) flagged the absence of security clearance for the airport’s CEO during a recent review meeting, a prerequisite for greenfield airports.

The airport has completed several operational checks, including integrated terminal trials and navigation equipment calibration flights conducted on 30 October and 3 November, according to Mint.

In a statement, Noida International Airport said it is progressing steadily towards operational readiness and is working closely with the DGCA and BCAS to complete the final stages of licensing and security-related clearances.

Noida International Airport is being developed by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International, under a public-private partnership with the Uttar Pradesh government. Phase 1 of the Rs 6,500-crore project is designed to handle 12 million passengers annually, with a target of six million passengers in its first full year of operations.

A recent JM Financial note cited by Mint said the airport could offer airlines operational advantages such as overnight aircraft parking and peak-hour slots, but flagged connectivity as a near-term challenge. Metro and Rapid Rail Transit System links are planned, but timelines depend on approvals and execution by government agencies.

For now, despite completed trials and infrastructure readiness, regulatory clearances remain the final, and decisive, hurdle keeping India’s long-awaited second NCR airport grounded.