Noida airport to finish calibration, validation of flights by December

The Noida International Airport is planning to complete its calibration and validation flights to verify aircraft’s arrival and departure procedures by December this year, Christoph Schnellmann, CEO, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), said on Thursday.

YIAPL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, is developing the Noida International Airport.

The airport plans to apply for an aerodrome license in December this year once the aforementioned flights are successfully completed, he told reporters.

“After calibration and validation flights, we would apply for an aerodrome license in December. We plan to start commercial operations in April 2025,” Schnellmann said.

The airport was scheduled to start commercial operations by December 2024, but was delayed due to supply-chain disruptions affecting its construction.

A calibration flight for a new airport verifies and fine-tunes navigation aids, runway lighting, and airspace, ensuring safety and accuracy before commercial operations commence. 

A validation flight is a test flight conducted to ensure that an aircraft, crew, or procedure meets safety and regulatory standards before official operations.

Kiran Jain, chief operating officer, YIAPL, said that the Airports Authority of India, which manages the airspace for civil aviation aircraft, and Boeing, joined hands to form approach and departure paths for aircraft that will be operating to and from the Noida airport.

She explained that the runway has been constructed and that its lights will now be installed within the next one month. On top of that, about 150,000 square meters of area around the runway is being landscaped.

She stated that by December, the multi-modal cargo terminal would be built and YIAPL will then begin the certification process for it. Initially, the cargo terminal would have the capacity to handle 200,000 tonnes per year but eventually, its capacity will be increased to 2 million tonnes per year.

Schnellmann told reporters that not just domestic carriers but also international carriers have shown interest in operating flights from the Noida airport.
 

In June, YIAPL had stated that the delay in airport's construction is due to various reasons, including "delays in delivery of construction materials and equipment due to Covid-19 restrictions and supply chain constraints due to geopolitical conflict". Meanwhile, Schnellmann said on Thursday that a few of the challenges remain but he is now "confident" that the airport will start commercial operations from April next year.

With one runway, the Noida airport is projected to handle 9.4-11.7 million passengers in 2025-26, aviation consultancy firm CAPA India had said in January. Strong competition is expected between the Delhi airport, which is operated by GMR Group-led entity, and the Noida airport, which is about 70 km away from it.

The Noida airport is not the only major greenfield airport project in India facing delays. In January, then Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had said that the Navi Mumbai airport will start commercial operations by March 2025.