Kamal Ghorui
NOIDA: Delhi-NCR’s second international airport will be formally inaugurated on Saturday, adding Jewar to the country’s aviation map and creating both space and means for the national capital — already India’s largest aviation hub — to play a much bigger role in connectivity with the world. A day before the inauguration, PM Modi on Friday said Noida International Airport will not just strengthen commerce and connectivity, but also ease pressure on IGI Airport in Delhi.“Tomorrow, March 28, is a day of immense importance for the people of Uttar Pradesh and the NCR,” Modi wrote on X. “Phase I of Noida International Airport will be inaugurated… Noida airport is among key greenfield projects in our nation. In addition to passenger services, it will have a robust cargo ecosystem, thus boosting the logistics sector,” he added, attaching photographs of the terminal with the post.
Flight Operations Likely To Begin Only In May
Flight operations from NIA are likely to begin in May.The PM is scheduled to arrive at the airport at 11.30am on Saturday, go on a walkthrough of the terminal building, and formally inaugurate the airport around noon before addressing a public gathering. The event is expected to draw large crowds from Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr and other parts of western UP. Three pandals have been set up to accommodate more than one lakh people.NIA will add a capacity of 1.2 crore fliers annually to Delhi-NCs airport infrastructure, allowing carriers more room for expansion and giving flyers more options.Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who will accompany the PM on Saturday, posted on X that NIA will help the state emerge as a global connectivity hub. “This airport will open new doors of economic progress and will also give fresh momentum to the state’s journey of development and prosperity,” he said. Last week, the CM reviewed preparations for the airport’s inauguration.
