Noida International Airport likely to miss another launch deadline: Report

Major development work at Noida's Jewar airport remains unfinished, while regulatory approvals are pending, raising doubts over the February 2026 launch timeline announced by the aviation minister

The Noida International Airport at Jewar is likely to miss another launch deadline as major development work remains unfinished, The New Indian Express reported on Thursday. 

The newspaper, which visited the airport site and spoke to people involved in the development work, said significant work within and outside the airport’s premises is yet to be completed, which will be followed by regulatory clearances.

 

February 2026 launch target under question

The report comes only a few days after Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the airport will begin operations in February 2026, according to a Financial Express report. The New Indian Express report, however, claimed the remaining work is unlikely to be finished by this deadline.

 

A person involved with the airport project was quoted by the newspaper as saying operations may not even begin by March, given the incomplete work. The airport will also require clearances from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

 

Security, aviation approvals still awaited

A senior DGCA official confirmed that a BCAS team inspected the airport in December 2025 and that its officials have been visiting the site regularly, but security clearance is yet to be granted. “Only after the BCAS gives its nod will the DGCA give its consent,” the official told the newspaper.

 

An airport spokesperson said the authorities are coordinating with BCAS and the DGCA to complete the final steps of aerodrome licensing and security clearances, following which commercial operations will be planned.

 

Project has missed multiple deadlines

This is not the first time the ₹6,800 crore international airport project has risked missing its launch deadline. It has already missed several deadlines starting September 2024 through 2025. However, an airport spokesperson said the delay has not resulted in any cost escalations, the report added.

 

The airport, spread over 1,334 hectares, is expected to ease traffic at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and strengthen the National Capital Region’s position as an aviation and logistics centre. It will be connected by six major roads, a rapid rail-cum-metro corridor, and pod taxis.