Upcoming Noida International Airport (NIA), also known as Jewar Airport, will serve as the one-stop-shop for all your cargo needs. It will offer multiple cargo solutions. In phase I of the airport’s development, 2.5 lakh tonnage of cargo will be handled, says Christoph Schnellmann, CEO.
Akash Tyagi
When can we expect the airport to become operational?
NIA is progressing on schedule, aiming for validation from the flights, and filing of aerodrome license application by December 2024. Commercial operations at the airport are scheduled to begin by the end of April 2025.
How will the airport address sustainability and environmental concerns?
NIA will develop as a world-class airport with a focus on environmentally conscious development and an ambitious net-zero emission philosophy. Sustainability has been an important consideration for the airport’s design from the outset and some of the key criteria based on which we selected the airport’s planning and design teams, construction partners, and concessionaires. In the terminal, passive measures such as natural lighting, natural ventilation, and glare protection will help improve the cargo experience and reduce the CO2 footprint and energy costs. Beyond design, NIA is embracing sustainable technologies, including renewable energy, rainwater harvesting, on-site waste and sewage treatment, EV charging infra, and electric ground support equipment. During construction, minimising environmental impact was a priority.
As many as 580 trees have been transplanted, and the airport will boast 133 hectares of green space. Furthermore, our EPC contractor has leveraged breakthrough technology from Nanogence Catalyst in a bid to enhance the binding efficiency of cementitious material, providing high material performance, while reducing carbon emissions during construction.
What steps were taken to ensure NIA integrated well with existing infrastructure?
NIA is located adjacent to the Yamuna Expressway, a 31-km expressway being built to connect the airport to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway at Ballabhgarh. Rail linkage via RRTS is planned to connect the airport to nearby areas. Future high-speed rail linkage from Delhi to Varanasi could include a halt adjacent to the airport. We awarded the concession for a MMCH to Air India SATS. Construction work for the MMCH kicked off in September last, is underway. Spanning over 80 acres of land, the MMCH will serve as a gateway for many cargo needs catering to diverse industries and businesses in NCR and Uttar Pradesh. In its phase I, the hub will handle an annual cargo capacity of two lakh tonnes, which will steadily expand to two million tonnes in the final phase.
