Noida, March 2026 – The Noida International Airport (IATA: DXN) in Jewar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, is set for formal inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi this month, following a confirmation by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during his official visit to Singapore. Commercial flight operations are expected to begin in June or July 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. The airport, being developed under a public-private partnership by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG has already completed its first calibration flight, conducted by the Airports Authority of India on October 31, 2025. The Uttar Pradesh government has proposed an outlay of ₹2,111 crore for the civil aviation sector in FY 2026-27, with ₹750
crore earmarked specifically for the Noida International Airport’s continued development.
A Decade in the Making – Now at the Finish Line
The Noida International Airport has one of the longest gestation periods in Indian infrastructure history. First proposed in 2001 as the Taj International Aviation Hub, the project navigated multiple location shifts, competing political mandates, and a near-abandonment before Prime Minister Modi laid its foundation stone on November 25, 2021. Originally scheduled to open in September 2024, the project faced several delays, but officials now confirm it is back on track with the runway, ATC tower, and terminal structure nearly complete, and aerobridges, baggage systems, and e-gates already installed. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has granted security clearance for airside infrastructure, and Operational Readiness and Transition (ORAT) trials are in progress.
Scale and Phased Development
Phase 1 of the airport spans over 1,334 hectares and includes one 3,900-metre runway and a passenger terminal designed to serve 12 million passengers annually. The master plan has since been expanded from the original two-runway design to five runways, positioning Noida International Airport among India’s largest aviation facilities once fully built out. By 2050, the airport is projected to handle up to 70 million passengers across four phases, at a total capital cost exceeding ₹29,500 crore.
Connectivity: Road, Rail, and Metro
The airport is being integrated into one of the most comprehensive multi-modal transport networks in the NCR:
The Yamuna Expressway provides existing direct access from Delhi and Greater Noida. The Jewar-Faridabad Expressway currently under construction by NHAI will link the airport to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway via a 31 km corridor. A new 130-metre-wide road from Greater Noida to the airport’s eastern side was approved in October 2025 at a cost of ₹1,700 crore. On the metro front, the Greater Noida-Noida Airport Metro (DPR complete, construction pending) will connect the airport to the existing Sector 148 station on the Aqua Line. A 71.1 km Ghaziabad-Jewar RRTS with 11 stations estimated at ₹16,000 crore is under planning, targeted for completion in two phases by 2031.
