Lucknow: The Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar in Gautam Budh Nagar got operational on Monday morning with the touching down of an IndiGo flight from Lucknow at 7.58 am. It was immediately followed by the first take-off from the greenfield project by a flight to Lucknow. Among the passengers were 172 farmers from the Jewar region whose land was acquired by the state govt for the first phase development of the airport.Union civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu said what seemed impossible 10 years ago was made possible by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that if India wants to become a developed nation, it must have a strong transport network.Modi laid the foundation stone for this airport on Nov 25, 2021. On March 28, 2026, he inaugurated the airport.“We want to see Noida International Airport grow, not only as a transit hub or a hub for transportation, but as an aerotropolis. When we say aerotropolis, we want to see multiple industries come around this area and create a strong economic base, which is not only going to be catering to the country but also internationally,” Naidu said.The inaugural flight, 6E 2278, departed from Lucknow at 7.12 am and landed in Noida at 7.58 am, carrying 182 passengers. Among those onboard was actor and entrepreneur Gul Panag. The airline unveiled an ambitious network that will connect NIL directly with more than 16 domestic destinations.The new service also drew strong interest from the corporate sector, with around 80 employees of a private business group travelling on the maiden flight and taking advantage of the new direct connectivity between the two cities.The first flight from Noida took off around 8.10 am and had on board, among other passengers, Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh and officials of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority, including its CEO Rakesh Singh, additional CEO Shailendra Bhatia, PCS officer and former Jewar SDM Abhay Singh.Flight 6E5212 arrived in Lucknow from Noida with 172 farmers who met chief minister Yogi Adityanath. After attending the meet, the farmers returned to Noida on a flight at 2.30 pm, an additional flight operated by the operator on the launch day.While the Lucknow-Noida sector formally opened operations, regular scheduled services on the route will begin on July 1.According to the airline’s published schedule, IndiGo will operate two daily flights in each direction between the two cities. Flights from Noida to Lucknow will depart at 5.50 am and 3.05 pm, while return services from Lucknow to Noida will leave at 7.25 am and 9.40 pm.The Noida airport will initially be connected to major metros such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Amritsar and Jammu, while additional routes to Bareilly, Bhopal, Dehradun, Dharamshala, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Pantnagar and Kishangarh will be phased in from July.Aloke Singh, IndiGo’s chief strategy officer, termed the opening of the airport a new chapter in India’s aviation story. “For IndiGo, the privilege of being the launch carrier at NIA is more than a commercial milestone; it is a commitment to western Uttar Pradesh, to the broader Delhi NCR, and the millions of travellers for whom this gateway opens new possibilities. We are proud to be here from day one,” Singh said.The carrier said the new airport would strengthen regional connectivity and improve travel options for passengers across Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh. The airline noted that the network would also facilitate one-stop connections between several Tier-II and Tier-III cities and major metropolitan centres, creating new travel opportunities across northern and central India.“As our launch carrier, IndiGo will connect NIA to key destinations across India, providing passengers with greater choice and convenience from day one. We look forward to working closely with IndiGo to deliver a seamless travel experience and support the continued growth of aviation, trade and tourism across the region,” said Christoph Schnellmann, vice-chairman, NIA.
