The dream of Noida International Airport took flight on Monday with an emotional homecoming of sorts as villagers who parted with their land for the mega project became some of its first passengers, marking the start of commercial operations at the long-awaited Jewar airport.
In a symbolic gesture, 172 farmers and their family members from the Jewar region boarded the inaugural flight to Lucknow, years after their fields made way for what is set to become one of the world’s largest aviation hubs.
The moment underscored the transformation of a largely agrarian landscape into a key gateway connecting western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Uttarakhand to the rest of the country.
The airport’s first milestone came at 7.58 am when IndiGo flight 6E2278 landed from Lucknow after departing at 7.12 am from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport. Minutes later, the first flight took off from Jewar for Lucknow, formally launching operations at the greenfield airport.
Among those on board were Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh and senior officials of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), including CEO Rakesh Singh and Additional CEO Shailendra Bhatia.
Flagging off the inaugural flight, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu described the occasion as both emotional and historic.
“Meeting the farmers and their families who contributed land for the Noida International Airport was truly special. Seeing them among the first passengers is a reminder that India’s aviation growth is powered by the aspirations of its people,” he said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing the inspiration behind the project and acknowledged the contribution of farmers.
The airport’s opening is expected to significantly improve connectivity across northern India. Officials said the new Lucknow-Jewar route will provide an alternative to passengers who currently rely on Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport or undertake long road journeys between the two cities.
The launch also creates a new gateway for tourists visiting the Taj Mahal. Located about 139 kms from Agra, the airport places India’s most visited monument within a two-hour drive via the Yamuna Expressway, considerably reducing travel time for many visitors.
Developed under a public-private partnership model by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, the airport has been designed as a multimodal transport hub integrating air and road connectivity.
