Noida Airport expects 58% traffic surge

Buoyed by a recovery in air traffic, it was reported that the upcoming Noida International Airport at Jewar had revised its forecast for expected traffic. In 2019, the airport operator had initially expected 4.1 million passengers in the first year. However, according to its latest forecast, they were now anticipating 6.5 million footfalls. The airport, currently under construction by Tata Projects and owned by Zurich Airport, was expected to become operational by 2024. Christoph Schnellmann, the CEO of Noida Airport, explained, "We anticipate improved traffic compared to our initial projections, thanks to the rapid recovery of Indian air traffic and the substantial aircraft orders placed by Indian airlines.?. The recovery in Indian domestic air traffic had been one of the quickest globally. Airbus's 20-year forecast, released in June 2023, predicted that as many as 685 million people were expected to fly in India by 2042, a significant increase from the 165 million in 2019. This would make India the third-largest civil aviation market in the world, following China and the United States, and also one of the fastest-growing markets. According to a Barclays report from June, Indian carriers were responsible for nearly 7% of the industry's backlog of orders, making them the second-largest in the world after the US. The ambitious forecasts projected that the airport would handle 12 million passengers within the first three full years of operation. Initially, the airport would feature a single runway and 28 aircraft stands, with the goal of serving 12 million passengers by the end of its first phase. The runway was planned to be 3,900 meters long, capable of accommodating 28 aircraft at once. The passenger terminal was expected to cover an area of 100,000 square metres. Upon reaching the milestone of 12 million passengers, the next phase of expansion would be initiated, with the ultimate aim being to handle 70 million passengers annually.