At 75 km from Delhi, Jewar will become the NCR’s second international gateway — a gleaming greenfield marvel developed by Zurich Airport International AG that finally eases the suffocating pressure on Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Conceived in 2001 as a bold vision under then Chief Minister Rajnath Singh, the project languished through political shifts and location changes until it was revived in 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone on November 25, 2021, and construction began in June 2022. Despite delays from material shortages and the pandemic, the airport is now complete and ready for its historic debut.

Why Jewar? Western Uttar Pradesh and Greater Noida desperately needed their own world-class hub. Phase 1 will handle 12 million passengers annually with 10 aerobridges, 28 aircraft stands and a runway supporting 30 movements per hour. A dedicated link to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, seamless rail feeders, RRTS and new UPSRTC bus routes to 25 cities will slash travel time for millions.

The benefits are life-changing for common readers: thousands of direct jobs in aviation, retail and logistics; a projected ₹1-lakh-crore economic boost; and a real-estate boom along the Yamuna Expressway. Local youth who once migrated for work can now build careers at home.

On March 28, when Prime Minister Modi inaugurates Noida International Airport — following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s invitation — this decade-long dream becomes reality, redrawing India’s aviation map and opening new skies for ordinary families. However, flight operations are likely to begin in mid-May.