India’s latest mega airport has opened. Now it just needs some flights

By Aishwarya S Iyer, CNN

New Delhi (CNN) — One of India’s most ambitious aviation projects, touted to be among the largest in South Asia, has been inaugurated more than four years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially kicked off the project.

“I am happy that I had the privilege of laying the foundation stone of this airport and also inaugurating it,” Modi said in a ceremony held at the airport on March 28.

The announcement provides much-needed PR for India’s struggling aviation industry, especially as the world copes with the fuel shortage amid the US and Israel’s war with Iran, which has blocked many ships carrying oil out of the Middle East.

Noida International Airport, call sign DXN, is located in Delhi’s National Capital Region. The surrounding state of Uttar Pradesh is now India’s first to have five international airports.

It’s the most significant step for Indian aviation since Navi Mumbai International Airport’s debut in October, serving the country’s financial capital.

The world’s most populous country — and the third largest aviation market — is on a major infrastructure building kick.

But Noida International won’t be able to do everything right away. Flights are not due to begin until mid-April and services will be phased in gradually, with an initial goal of accommodating 12 million passengers per year, rising to 70 million by 2050 —a figure that would surpass pre-war passenger numbers at the world’s current busiest airport, Dubai International.

The total cost of the airport was 296 billion rupees ($3.13 billion USD). It had been scheduled to open in September 2024 and was delayed several times before finally being declared ready for business this weekend.

Noida International has already had several lives. It was first conceived as Taj International Airport in 2001, but the real planning began in 2018 and 2019.

Although the Taj name was changed, the intention did not. Subhash Goyal, chairman of the country’s Aviation and Tourism Committee, said that Noida’s location south of Delhi would make it easier to access the Taj Mahal, the UNESCO World Heritage site that lures tourists to the city of Agra every year. Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur comprise the “golden triangle” that many first-time travelers explore in India.

“This airport was long overdue,” Goyal said.

India has made no secret of its desire to compete with other top-tier travel markets. Major cities like Paris, Beijing, and New York have at least two airports, which help spread out crowds.

The goal of Noida International is to “connect the greater Delhi area and Western Uttar Pradesh with other cities in India and the world,” according to a press release from the airport. Uttar Pradesh is Modi’s home constituency, and his Bharatiya Janta Party’s government has made an effort to build up India’s second-tier cities.

“Aircraft will fly from here to the world, and this airport will also become a symbol of a developed Uttar Pradesh taking flight,” Modi said. “Today, Noida is ready to welcome the entire world. This whole area is strengthening the resolve of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”

Aatmanirbhar Bharat, meaning self-reliant India, is a key policy for Modi aimed at transforming the country into one that’s no longer dependent on the outside world for technology and manufacturing.

Located in the town of Jewar, about 50 miles southeast of New Delhi, officials hope that Noida will help alleviate the congestion at Indira Gandhi International. Despite its efforts to compete with international markets, India’s aviation sector has struggled to keep up with demand.

However, Indian aviation analyst Sanjay Lazar cautions that the new airport won’t be a magic bullet, especially when it comes to navigating the capital’s traffic.

“The interconnectivity is still not fully there, but the expressway is done and should be a boon,” he said. “Ideally, there should be a high-speed rail or a metro connecting the airports to Delhi.”

Still, India is pushing its aviation dreams, with Modi leading the charge. At a ceremony to unveil Navi Mumbai International Airport last year, Modi pointed out that in 2014, India had 74 airports. Today, more than a decade later, there are 160 and counting.

“Aviation is booming in India,” said Lazar, the analyst. “And it will continue to do so for the next two decades, at least.”

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