Noida Airport to be Inaugurated on October 30, Passenger Operations in 45 Days

Noida, September 18, 2025: Noida International Airport (NIA) will be inaugurated on October 30, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu announced on Wednesday. Passenger operations are expected to begin within 45 days of the launch.
In its first phase, the airport will connect around 10 cities, largely metros. International operations will start later. “Major cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata will be among the first to be linked. Apart from passenger operations, there is also significant potential for cargo flights,” Naidu said during an event at Hindon civil terminal in Ghaziabad.

So far, the airport concessionaire Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) has signed agreements with IndiGo and Akasa Air. Akasa, which began commercial services in 2022, plans to use Noida airport as a hub for both metro and regional routes. IndiGo, designated as the launch carrier, is expected to anchor operations and expand connectivity from the new airport.

According to the concessionaire, core infrastructure is already in place and finishing touches on the domestic terminal are underway. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is installing and commissioning equipment at the new air traffic control tower.

A comprehensive Operational Readiness Activation and Transition (ORAT) programme is being implemented to ensure smooth functioning from day one. This involves trial runs, system simulations and training for airlines, ground handlers and security staff. Tests are ongoing on baggage systems, check-in counters, security scanners and boarding gates.

Progress towards operational readiness has been steady. On Wednesday, TOI reported that the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security granted airside security clearance, a prerequisite for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to issue the aerodrome licence, on Sept 15.

Earlier in March, BCAS had reviewed the airport’s security submissions, including contingency plans for bomb threats and hijack situations, as well as its airport security programme.

NIAL nodal officer Shailendra Kumar Bhatia said a DGCA inspection is now due shortly. The Noida airport is being developed in four phases, with its first phase featuring a single runway and terminal capable of handling 12mn passengers annually. Capacity will be scaled up to 30mn in Phase 2, 50 million in Phase 3, and eventually 70 million passengers once the project is fully built out. In its opening year, the airport is projected to serve around six million passengers.

The airport achieved a milestone in December 2024 when IndiGo operated a validation flight to test navigational aids, approach procedures and air traffic control systems. The project, however, has been dogged by delays. Initially slated for completion by September 2024, the deadline was later pushed to April 2025 and then May-June due to pending terminal works. With further delays, the state govt began imposing a daily penalty of Rs 10 lakh on the concessionaire from January 1.

According to Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) officials, YIAPL was instructed during a June review meeting to complete pending works by Sept. On Tuesday, NIAL CEO RK Singh and other officials inspected the site to finalise the inauguration venue, and unofficial sources said, the event was likely to be attended by the PM.

The greenfield airport has also been designed with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles to embed robust security across all operations. More than 350 high-resolution CCTV cameras and electric fencing will secure the perimeter, while a Unified Security Operations Centre will integrate feeds from CCTV, perimeter intrusion systems and access control devices for 24×7 monitoring.

Passenger and baggage checks will rely on an advanced automated tray retrieval system with 13 security lanes in Phase 1, in-line baggage screening, full-body scanners and walk-through detectors. NIA has also introduced role-based aviation security training for staff, concessionaires and ground handlers to ensure operational readiness.