Noida: Noida International Airport will launch commercial flight operations on June 15, ending the wait for a second civil aviation hub in Delhi-NCR. IndiGo will operate the inaugural flight, with Akasa Air and Air India Express to follow shortly.The announcement comes after the airport cleared a regulatory hurdle that stalled its launch. Last week, expat CEO Christoph Schnellmann was replaced, as rules require an Indian national to head airports. Schnellmann moved to the board as executive vice chairman, and CFO Nitu Samra was appointed interim CEO.The change enabled the airport to secure approval for its Aerodrome Security Program from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security on April 28, confirming that its security framework and operating procedures met regulatory requirements. It received the aerodrome license from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on March 6 and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.The airport, a greenfield project developed on land acquired from six villages in Jewar, sits around 80 km from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and 60 km from Noida City Centre. In its first phase, it will operate one runway and a single passenger terminal with an annual capacity of 12 million passengers.Officials said initially, the operations will begin with domestic flights. International services are expected to follow after a stabilization period, with operating hours set to expand progressively towards round-the-clock services as systems are tested.While routes, schedules and passenger service details have not been announced yet, the airport is to connect major metros including Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Lucknow. Airlines are expected to schedule flights and open bookings within a week, with crew deployment and ground equipment to follow, officials said.With 45 days to go, the airport has also begun mobilizing ground transport links. The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority will run five hydrogen-powered buses from Pari Chowk to the airport. UP Roadways will operate services from Pari Chowk every 30 minutes and from Noida City Center every hour. State roadways will also connect the airport to Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Haldwani, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Palwal.The Delhi Transport Corporation will run buses from Kashmere Gate, Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar and New Delhi railway station.YEIDA CEO RK Singh called the launch of commercial operations a significant development for Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna region. “The Prime Minister laid the foundation of this airport on Nov 25, 2021, and it was inaugurated in March 2026, developed in record time. The airport will ease commuting across NCR and give a push to industrial growth in the region,” he said.
