Work to finish on Noida International Airport by September 30, inauguration date not decided yet: Nial CEO Rakesh Kumar Singh
Speaking to The Indian Express, Rakesh Kumar Singh, newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Noida International Airport Limited (Nial), said while most of the mandatory licences for airport operations have already been secured, two are still pending.
'We expect to receive the remaining licenses during this period. A site review will be conducted this week to evaluate the outstanding work, which will then be addressed at the earliest,' the official added.
Highlighting the complexity of the project, the Nial CEO said, 'This is an international airport and the standards we have to meet are much higher. Each section of the airport has its own specific timeline and challenges.'
When asked whether a specific inauguration or operational date had been finalised, Singh said, 'As of now, there is no specific date. We are focused on completing the pending work, and once that is done, we will be in a position to announce the official launch.'
He said that significant progress has been made regarding key infrastructure like the terminal building and runways. 'We have completed approximately 85 per cent of the terminal building. Work is ongoing across multiple zones, and the overall progress has crossed the 90 per cent mark,' he added.
On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh's Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta had said that Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh's Jewar – which has missed several deadlines since its foundation stone was laid in November 2021 – will be completed by November this year.
The airport missed its first opening deadline on September 29, 2024, which was later pushed to April of this year. Following this, June 30 was announced as the new date for the start of operations.
Neetika Jha is a Correspondent with The Indian Express. She covers crime, health, environment as well as stories of human interest, in Noida, Ghaziabad and western UP. When not on the field she is probably working on another story idea. On weekends, she loves to read fiction over a cup of coffee. The Thursday Murder club, Yellow Face and Before the Coffee Gets Cold were her recent favourites. She loves her garden as much as she loves her job. She is an alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. ... Read More
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