Noida Airport gets a new name: It’s now Narendra Modi International Airport
PTC Web Desk: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced that Noida International Airport will now be called Narendra Modi International Airport. The airport is in Jewar, in Gautam Buddha Nagar district. It was built from scratch to act as a second major air hub for the Delhi-NCR region, working alongside Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The project was developed as a public-private partnership between Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, which is a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, and the Uttar Pradesh government. The airport blends Swiss operational know-how with Indian design touches.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase on March 28, 2026, and flights began operating commercially in June. It is the second international airport in the National Capital Region.
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What the airport offers
In its first phase, the airport has one runway and a terminal that can handle up to 12 million passengers every year. Over time, more runways will be added. By 2050, the airport is expected to serve as many as 70 million passengers annually.
Travellers can reach it through the Yamuna Expressway and other connected transport options. The main aim of the airport is to ease the pressure on Delhi’s busy airport and cut down air traffic congestion across the NCR.
The second phase of the airport is expected to become operational between 2031 and 2032.
Background: How the Jewar airport came to be
The idea of a second airport for the Delhi-NCR region has been discussed for many years, mainly because Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport was getting very crowded. Jewar, in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, was chosen as the site because of the large land available there and its closeness to the Yamuna Expressway.
In 2020, Zurich Airport International AG won the bid to build and run the airport. The company works through its Indian subsidiary, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, under a long-term concession of around 40 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in November 2021.
Size and future plans
The first phase is spread over roughly 1,300 hectares of land and was planned at a cost of about Rs 11,000 crore. In the long run, the airport is planned to have several runways, with up to six mentioned in the master plan, which would make it one of the biggest airports in the country.
Focus on cargo and trade
Apart from passenger flights, the airport is also meant to become a major cargo hub. Its location near the Yamuna Expressway and industrial areas in western Uttar Pradesh and the NCR is expected to help exporters, manufacturers and logistics companies move goods faster.
Boost for the region
Local officials expect the airport to bring jobs, new businesses, hotels and real estate growth to Jewar and nearby areas. Better road and rail links are also being planned to make travel easier for passengers coming from Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Agra and Mathura.
- PTC NEWS
