Construction of the runway at Noida International Airport is expected to be completed this month and test flights are expected to begin in June or early July.
This information was given by officials of Noida Airport Authority Limited (NIAL), the dedicated unit of the government overseeing the project, in a recent meeting held in Lucknow.
The greenfield airport is being built at Jewar in Gautam Buddha Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, which will boost domestic and international connectivity to Delhi-NCR, Noida and western Uttar Pradesh.
The airport, developed by Yamuna International Airport Pvt. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, in partnership with the state government, will become India’s largest airport upon completion.
Officials said about 75% of the project has been completed, which is significant progress. Rs 7,371 crore (Rs 10,056 crore allocated for the first phase) has already been spent, which includes compensation payment of Rs 4,362 crore to landowners.
The 3,900-metre runway is set to be completed this month, pending the final layer of asphalt. The Airport Authority of India oversees the installation of equipment required for flight operations, such as reflectors, signage, navigation and monitoring systems.
NIAL CEO Arun Vir Singh told Hindustan Times that test flights would be facilitated by June or July, when the runway would be completed.
Singh said work on the air traffic control tower is also going on at a fast pace; Civil work has been completed and construction of the glass facade is underway. Also, equipment required for flight operations, such as landing systems and distance measuring equipment, is expected to be installed within a month.
Singh expressed confidence of meeting the airport deadline of September 29, although some events could be extended till October, such as radar installation.
The first phase of the airport, costing Rs 5,700 crore, will initially feature one runway and terminal over an area of 1,334 hectares, which will handle 12 million passengers per year. Commercial operations are scheduled to begin with 65 daily flights (domestic, foreign and cargo).
In future, the airport capacity will be expanded to handle 70 million passengers on two runways and terminals, with the entire project costing Rs 29,561 crore.
The airport will begin its first expansion after reaching 80 percent of its capacity of 12 million passengers annually, which will be the construction of a second runway and terminal building.
When the number of passengers increases from 12 million to 30 million, 50 million and 70 million, construction of the third, fourth and fifth runways will begin.