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India's Noida International Airport begins flights from Jewar, promises aerotropolis growth
The new airport expected to see phenomenal development over the coming years. Top developers have bought hundreds of acres of land in and around Jewar and property prices have appreciated
- PUBLISHED: Mon 15 Jun 2026, 2:05 PM UPDATED: Mon 15 Jun 2026, 3:34 PM
The Noida International Airport (NIA) began operations on Monday, with the first aircraft, an IndiGo flight, landing in the morning of June 15 from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. It later took off for the UP capital, carrying 170 happy villagers from Jewar, whose land had been acquired for building the airport
Fully owned by Zurich Airport International AG, NIA aims to link Noida to cities in UP and also other parts of India. For the National Capital Region (NCR), this is the third airport after the main Delhi international airport, and the smaller, Hindon Indian Air Force airport in Ghaziabad, which sees carriers including IndiGo, Air India Express and Star Air operating flights to about 10 cities in the country.
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India’s civil aviation minister K. Rammohan Naidu told reporters that NIA would emerge not only as a transit hub, but also as an aerotropolis, with multiple industries coming around it with both domestic and international players setting up operations.
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The Swiss company has a concession period for NIA for 40 years. Christoph Schnellmann, vice-chairman, NIA, said international airlines have also shown an interest in operating flights to Noida, including those in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Young 'pilot'
Interestingly, the passengers on the first flight included a young girl, dressed as a pilot, who was accompanied by her family. Her mother told journalists that she wanted her to become a pilot when she grew up. The video of the young girl dressed as a pilot went viral with thousands of viewers wishing her all the best.
Noida, especially Jewar, where the new airport is based, is expected to see phenomenal development over the coming years. Top developers in India have bought hundreds of acres of land in and around Jewar and property prices have started appreciating in recent months.
Fifty years after the UP government initiated moves to develop Noida (earlier known as the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority in 1976), it has emerged as a major metropolis, rivalling Gurugram (erstwhile Gurgaon) in neighbouring Haryana, which is located close to the Delhi international airport.
But while Gurugram began luring top international companies from the US, Europe, South Korea and Japan, Noida had a late start. Gradually, however, it drew in real estate developers, educational institutions, IT majors and automobile giants as well.
Boosting development in the region are other major developments including the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, the Multi-Modal Transport Hub (MMTH), and several other projects.
