Noida Airport's Opening Faces Further Delay, Misses May 15 Target.

Hopes for the much-anticipated opening of Noida International Airport by its latest official deadline of May 15 have been dashed, according to a report by the Times of India. The terminal building is reportedly unlikely to be ready in time, marking the third time the airport has missed its projected launch date. While an official announcement regarding a new timeline is awaited, sources suggest that operations are not expected to commence within the next two months.

The airport project is now running a full year behind its initial schedule. The original target for opening was September 29, 2024, which was subsequently revised to April 17, 2025. Following that, the commencement of domestic flight operations was slated for May 15, with international operations planned for June 25. However, these timelines now appear unattainable due to ongoing delays in critical construction work.

In response to the repeated delays, the Uttar Pradesh government has been levying a daily penalty of ₹10 lakh on the concessionaire, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), since January 1. On Tuesday, Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh inspected the construction site in Jewar and held discussions with key stakeholders from YIAPL, Tata Projects Limited, and Noida International Airport Limited (NIA). Singh is expected to convene a stakeholder meeting soon to establish a revised completion timeline and will submit a comprehensive report within the next 15 days.

During a recent high-level meeting, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urged all involved parties to expedite the project. Senior officials have been directed to conduct regular progress reviews and communicate directly with the Chairman of Tata Sons to ensure top-level accountability.

While an official update on the current construction status has not been released, data up to March 10 indicated an overall physical progress of 80 percent. The runway and associated airside infrastructure were reported to be 90 percent complete and on track for readiness by April. The passenger terminal building also stood at 80 percent completion, with ongoing work on steel roofing and interior finishing. However, the water and sewage treatment plants were significantly behind schedule, with only 40 percent of the work completed.

The Air Traffic Control (ATC) building was initially slated for completion by March 31. However, the commissioning of crucial Communication, Navigation and Surveillance / Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) systems by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is now expected only by April 30. Officials had previously informed the Chief Minister that delays in obtaining the aerodrome license from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), coupled with the ongoing construction setbacks, presented a major obstacle to launching flight operations by the end of April.

A DGCA review meeting on March 5 revealed that AAI could only make limited ATC functionality available for inspection after April 30. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), after reviewing critical safety documentation, including contingency plans for bomb threats and hijackings, as well as the airport security program, raised several observations requiring compliance. BCAS indicated that it would need 45 days after receiving the necessary responses to issue security clearance. Furthermore, a structural stability certificate would be required in the event of a partial terminal opening.

During the same DGCA meeting, YIAPL was instructed to provide detailed operational scenarios, considering the incomplete state of the terminal and cargo apron. Based on these discussions, the DGCA advised YIAPL to finalize all remaining tasks outlined in the draft Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) Supplement and ensure complete preparedness by April 15.

The DGCA also presented three potential options for commencing airport operations: initiating only cargo services by May 15, launching limited passenger services utilizing a portion of the terminal, or achieving full Phase 1 readiness. Sources suggest that once the airport finally becomes operational, it is likely to adopt a phased approach recommended by the DGCA, starting with domestic and cargo flights before expanding to international operations at a later stage.