Noida Airport to begin flight ops, 172 farmers who gave land among inaugural flyers

One of the inaugural flights from Noida International Airport will carry 172 farmers who gave their land for the Jewar airport project, recognising their contribution to the development of the greenfield aviation hub.

In Short

• IndiGo return service will leave Noida at 6.55 pm for Lucknow
• Satish Mahana, SP Goyal and ministers are likely passengers on board
• Tickets for the one-time inaugural service have already been completely sold out

Noida International Airport in Jewar is set to start operations on Monday, with its inaugural flight from Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport scheduled to land at 8.05 am, officials said. The return service, IndiGo flight 6E-2279, will leave Noida at 6.55 pm and is expected to arrive in Lucknow at 8 pm.

Among the initial flights from Noida International Airport, one is set to take off for Lucknow carrying 172 farmers who gave their land for the airport project and will be among the inaugural passengers.

Accompanied by Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh, the farmers will travel to Lucknow to meet Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and express their gratitude, in a gesture aimed at recognising their contribution to the development of the airport.

The first flights from Noida International Airport will connect Jewar with Lucknow, Bengaluru and other destinations, while the airport will also record its first arrivals on the same day.

As Noida International Airport prepares to open its doors, Vice Chairman Christoph Schnellmann has outlined an ambitious target of handling five million passengers in its first year, while planning long-term capacity for 70 million travellers.

Officials said the inaugural flight will operate on Monday, while regular services on the route are expected to begin later. The launch is expected to ease travel between Noida and Lucknow, where most passengers currently depend either on flights through Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport or on road travel. Authorities have also put in place extensive security arrangements at the airport ahead of the start of operations.

According to officials, Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana, UP Chief Secretary SP Goyal and other ministers are likely to travel on the first flight from Lucknow to Noida airport. They added that all tickets for the inaugural flight have already been sold out.

Noida International Airport Limited officials said Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh, Gautam Budh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma, and officials of NIAL and the Yamuna Authority will be present on Monday to receive the inaugural flight.

The new air connection is being seen as an important move to strengthen Uttar Pradesh’s aviation network and support economic integration between the state’s administrative and commercial centres. A spokesperson for Lucknow airport said, "The launch of this flight is expected to be followed by similar services from other airlines, strengthening connectivity between the state capital and commercial centres such as Noida."

Officials said a multi-layered security system has been put in place at the airport, along with AI-based surveillance and the deployment of nearly 1,030 Central Industrial Security Force personnel. The UP Police has also started a dedicated airport police station.

A police team comprising one inspector, one senior sub-inspector, 20 head constables, 33 constables and five women constables has been deployed, officials said. The airport area and runway are being monitored in real time through high-resolution CCTV cameras equipped with facial recognition, behaviour analysis and automatic detection of suspicious activity.

Officials added that dog squad teams have also been deployed, along with a dedicated firefighting unit, a medical emergency response team and a quick reaction team. With the first Lucknow flight set to land on Monday and the return service scheduled the same evening, the airport is preparing to begin operations with passenger movement, official presence and security measures in place.

- Ends