New Delhi: The Noida International Airport is set to begin operations any time after March 20 next year, moving up from the initially scheduled date of April 17, according to Arun Vir Singh, CEO of Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL).
He said that procedures to obtain all required approvals are underway, and the Director General of Civil Aviation has approved calibration flights.
As per reports, the preparations for the second stage of trials are set to commence on November 15. At this stage, flights from Akasa, IndiGo, and those operated by the Airports Authority of India will take off and land daily until December 15, Singh said. The testing process is to continue for a month.
“This data will be uploaded to the DGCA website on December 20; we will then apply for the aerodrome licensing,” Singh said. He further said that if all required data is uploaded by December 20, then by March 20, the airport could get the aerodrome license.
“After that, airport operations will begin any day before April 17,” he added.
Singh asserted that the flights will commence any time after March 20 and before April 17. He added that, for now, three international flights are scheduled for Day 1, but their operation is pending approval from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). “But we are considering international flights for Europe and the Pacific region,” he further said.
With the 25 domestic flights, Noida International Airport will be connected to all major cities in Uttar Pradesh as well as key metropolitan cities across India. Additionally, two cargo flights will be operational, all on the very first day of flight operations.
Singh further stated that they have obtained all the necessary approvals required for landing, flight calibrations, and runway operations. “Trials for CAT III (landing of flights in adverse conditions) have also been conducted and installed,” he informed.
However, he mentioned that access to the northern and eastern sides of the airport is not yet available, as work is still ongoing.
“To provide access to the northern side, we had to build a 25-km stretch but we could not get the land. On the eastern side, we had planned to build a 30-metre stretch for landing and take-offs of cargo flights, which will now be done by the National Highways Authority of India with a budget of Rs 178 crore. For this, we have written to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Once we get the approval, construction will begin,” he said.
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