Noida International Airport Gets DGCA Aerodrome Licence

• DGCA grants aerodrome licence for Noida International Airport in Jewar

• Domestic and cargo flights expected to start within 45 days

• Airport planned to handle 12 million passengers annually in Phase 1

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted the aerodrome licence to Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar, clearing the last major regulatory requirement before the airport becomes operational.

With the approval now in place, cargo and domestic flight operations are expected to begin within about 45 days, according to the project plan. The licence confirms that the airport infrastructure meets the safety, operational, and technical standards required by India’s aviation regulator.

The airport has been licensed under the “Public Use” category for all-weather operations, allowing it to function round the clock. It features a 3,900-metre-long runway (orientation 10/28) and advanced aviation infrastructure such as an Instrument Landing System (ILS) and Aeronautical Ground Lighting (AGL) to support safe landings even during poor visibility.

Officials said the aerodrome can accommodate 24 Code C aircraft and two larger Code D/F aircraft, while its Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Category 9 system allows it to handle wide-body aircraft like the Boeing 777-300ER.

The licence comes a day after the airport secured mandatory security clearance from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). Earlier, the security agency had raised concerns about certain infrastructure elements, including a temporary steel wall built near the Doppler Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (DVOR) navigation system.

Authorities were concerned that the structure could interfere with navigation signals during aircraft landing and take-off. The airport operator has now been directed to replace the temporary structure with a permanent wall within six months, while construction work continues.

Spread across nearly 1,300 hectares in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, the Noida International Airport is being developed as the second major airport serving the National Capital Region (NCR) after Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.

The project was awarded in October 2020 to Zurich Airport International AG, which is developing and operating the facility through its Indian subsidiary Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) under a 40-year public-private partnership model.

On behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government, the development is overseen by Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), a state-owned special purpose vehicle responsible for project coordination.

The airport is planned to be built in four phases, along with a multi-modal cargo hub. In the first phase, which includes one runway and one terminal, the airport is expected to handle around 12 million passengers annually.

Once all phases are completed, the airport’s capacity will expand significantly to around 70 million passengers per year, positioning it as a major aviation and logistics hub for the National Capital Region and western Uttar Pradesh.

Industry observers believe the launch of the airport will significantly improve regional connectivity, boost logistics infrastructure, and support economic growth in the rapidly developing Noida–Greater Noida–Yamuna Expressway corridor.

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