3 days ago
Jewar Airport, India's first 100% FDI aviation project, set to transform connectivity
The Noida International Airport also known as Jewar International Airport in Gautam Buddha Nagar is nearing completion, with one runway and a terminal ready for the first flight.
Spread across 1,334 hectares, the airport is being developed by Zurich International Airport AG with Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) executing the project.
Noida International Airport construction marks India's first 100 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) project in the aviation sector. Upon full completion, Jewar Airport will feature six runways and six terminal buildings, with an annual passenger handling capacity of 225 million.
However, the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, is already operating at its peak capacity of 80 million passengers. Jewar will therefore serve not just NCR but also become a major international gateway for the entire country.
According to Yamuna Expressway CEO Arunvir Singh, Jewar Airport is not just an NCR facility—it is strategically connected to multiple regions across India.
Located just 700 metres from the Yamuna Expressway, the airport will also be linked to the Delhi–Mumbai Expressway (31 km stretch), the Lucknow–Agra Expressway, Ganga Expressway, and the Meerut–Prayagraj Expressway, Singh said. With such connectivity, travel time from Jaipur to the airport will be just 2 hours and 21 minutes by road, he added.
The YEIDA, in collaboration with the central government, is ensuring the airport is integrated with multimodal transport systems. A rapid rail corridor is under development, and the Noida Metro extension is underway. The airport will also be linked with a Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system.
For the first time, Indian Railways is constructing an underground transport system connecting the Amritsar–Kolkata corridor via the Chola line, located just 16 km from Jewar.
To facilitate airport construction, the YEIDA has acquired 6,000 hectares of land—notably, without a single court case or farmer protest. This has set a benchmark across the country as a model of conflict-free land acquisition, said the state government.
