Noida International Airport to see the light of day in 6 years

The upcoming polls in 2022 are expected to accelerate the process of making the Noida International Airport operational. The Jewar airport is expected to be developed by the current Uttar Pradesh government, and be operational within the span of six years.In early July, Zurich Airport International signed a shareholder agreement with the Uttar Pradesh government's entity NIAL in Lucknow to develop the Noida International Airport.Project developmentsThe Rs 30,000 crore project will have the capacity to handle 30-50 million passengers each year. The five runways will be spread over 4,752 hectares of land. The Zurich company aims to offer contactless service to its passengers through digital technology.At a distance of around 70 km from Delhi, covering a land area of 1,334 hectares, the first phase of the project will include one runway, apron space, 12 boarding bridges for the terminal, and cargo catering space.Once completed, the airport, is likely to have six to eight runways. The government plans to connect the airport with a high-speed 816 km railway line between Varanasi and Delhi via Prayagraj, Lucknow, Kannauj, Etawah, Agra, Mathura, Jewar, and Noida.Architects for the project include Haptic Architects, Nordic, Grimshaw, and STUP. The airport logo will be that of a stork, the state bird.Cost of Project: Rs 30,000 croreStart date: Aug-2021Completion Period: Phase-I is expected to be completed by early 2024.Contractor: Zurich Airport International AGProject: In the first phase, a 90,000 square metre Terminal 1 building, 4150 x 45 Code ‘E’ runway (Runway 10/28) fully supported by CAT III approach lighting and visual aids, parallel end to end taxiway, an Air Traffic Control (ATC) building, cargo facility, commercial developments, metro and high-speed rail stations, and other amenities.An aerotropolis, manufacturing facility by IT companies, an 'Electronic Park’, driverless personal rapid transport (PRT) or pod taxis, metro extension from Noida to NIA, and an airport station for the planned high-speed rail link from Delhi to Varanasi. On completion, the airport is estimated to have six to eight runways.Phase 1Noida International Airport’s Phase 1 includes a 90,000 square metre Terminal 1 building, 4150 x 45 Code ‘E’ runway, parallel end-to-end taxiway, an Air Traffic Control (ATC) building, cargo facility, metro and high-speed rail stations, and other amenities.Phase 2Phase 2 will be a replica of Phase 1, with Terminal 2, a new runway, and a parallel taxiway.Phase 3The Phase 3 layout will include a new terminal - Terminal 3 - which will be spread over an area of 1,60,000 square metres. Also, the second parallel taxiway, three rapid-exit taxiways, and apron expansion with 37 additional bays are planned for this phase.Phase 4The airport’s final phase will have Terminal 4, covering an area of 1,60,000 square metres. Additionally, there will be the expansion of the cargo terminal to 1,50,000 square metres, apron expansion for 25 additional bays, three rapid-exit taxiways in the northern runway, and a second parallel taxiway.The agreement also highlights the UP government’s intention to establish and improve surface access to the airport, increase utilities such as water, electricity, wastewater, maintain law and order, including monitoring at the airport.A recent study conducted by PwC noted that the Noida airport is likely to share peak-hour air traffic with the Indira Gandhi Airport (IGI). The report also stated that the potential spillover from IGI may pick up significantly by 2029-30.Zurich Airport AG is injecting Rs 2005 crore as equity in the Noida airport. YIAPL (Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd) has raised Rs 3,725 crore in debt from the State Bank of India for the same reason, which it intends to repay over a span of 20 years.