After Centre, NIAL Board approves Noida International Airport master plan

The master plan, which details the development of the proposed Noida International Airport, was approved by the Noida International Airport Limited on Friday, according to officials

The master plan, which details the development of the proposed Noida International Airport, was approved by the Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) on Friday, according to officials.

The master plan along with the project status report was presented before the NIAL board during its 11th meeting in Lucknow on Friday, they said.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari, who is also the chairman of the NIAL board, while the agenda was presented by NIAL CEO Arun Vir Singh.

In the meeting, the master plan of the Noida international airport at Jewar and the progress made in the greenfield project were presented which got approved by the board, according to an official statement.

The master plan was developed by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of the project concessionaire Zurich International Airport AG, Singh informed the board.

The master plan was sent for comments and observations to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, which sent it back with in-principle approval, Singh said.

The NIAL board, while giving its approval to the master plan on Friday, directed project officials to get the nod of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) as well, according to the statement.

NIAL CEO Arun Vir Singh is also the CEO of YEIDA, a state government body which manages development along the 165-km-long Yamuna Expressway near Delhi in western Uttar Pradesh.

The meeting was attended by CEO Greater Noida Authority Narendra Bhooshan, CEO Noida Authority Ritu Maheshwari, Secretary Finance (UP government) Sanjay Kumar, Joint Secretary Industrial Development and Director Civil Aviation Visakh G and NIAL Nodal Officer Shailendra Bhatia.

The master plan was first sent to central agencies in December 2020 after which it was sent back with some recommendations and observations.

The revised plan was sent to the central agencies this May after which the NOC (no objection certificate) was received from them recently, officials said.

The NIAL, the authority on the joint venture project, has the Uttar Pradesh government, the Noida Industrial Development Authority, the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority and the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority as its stakeholders.

The greenfield airport, billed to be the largest in India upon completion, is being developed by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Swiss firm Zurich International Airport AG.

Work is underway for the first phase of the project which will be spread over an area of 1,334 hectares, according to officials.