Standfirst
From regional connectivity programmes to the development of Noida International Airport, India is undertaking one of the most ambitious aviation expansions in the world. As the Jewar airport prepares to open, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aviation strategy is reshaping how the country connects to itself and to global markets.
“This airport is also an example of how earlier governments ignored the development of western Uttar Pradesh. Today, that dream is finally being fulfilled.”
— Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Jewar Airport foundation ceremony
Introduction
Some infrastructure projects are simply airports. Others are statements about what a country believes it is becoming. Noida International Airport in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, belongs firmly in the latter category.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the airport in 2026, he will be opening a facility that has been in the making for more than two decades and that reflects the ambitions of the world’s most populous nation. Designed to become one of India’s largest aviation hubs once fully developed, the project represents both infrastructure investment and a broader vision for India’s aviation future.
For MyAviation Magazine’s Leadership Spotlight this month, the story of Jewar Airport is closely connected to Modi’s wider aviation strategy, one that is reshaping the scale and direction of Indian aviation.
A Long Time Coming
The idea of an airport near Jewar was first proposed in 2001. Progress over the following two decades moved slowly as the project navigated changes in state administrations, land acquisition complexities, policy reviews and regulatory procedures.
Like many major infrastructure projects, the airport experienced periods of delay before gaining renewed momentum in recent years. When Narendra Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, aviation connectivity began to receive greater emphasis within India’s broader infrastructure development agenda.
Modi laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the airport in November 2021. Since then, construction has advanced steadily through coordination between central authorities, the state government and private sector partners.
By late 2025, major construction milestones had been completed. Calibration flights conducted by the Airports Authority of India began testing the airport’s navigation and communication systems, marking an important step toward operational readiness.
What Is Being Built
The first phase of Noida International Airport covers more than 1,334 hectares and includes a runway of approximately 3,900 metres, capable of accommodating wide body aircraft. The initial terminal has been designed to handle around 12 million passengers annually.
The airport is being developed by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, in partnership with the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
Long term plans for the airport envision multiple runways and passenger capacity exceeding 100 million travellers annually as future phases are completed. The surrounding region is also planned as an aerotropolis combining logistics hubs, commercial districts and residential development.
Economic activity along the Yamuna Expressway has already accelerated as the airport project progresses, with logistics investment and real estate development expanding across the corridor.
The Wider Vision
Noida International Airport forms part of a much larger transformation taking place across India’s aviation sector.
When Modi assumed office in 2014, India had around 70 operational airports. Since then, the number has more than doubled as the government expanded regional connectivity and invested in new infrastructure through programmes such as the UDAN regional connectivity scheme.
The government has also outlined long term ambitions to expand India’s airport network further by 2047, the centenary year of Indian independence.
At the same time, Indian airlines have placed large aircraft orders in recent years as they prepare for continued passenger growth.
The Leadership Lens
For Narendra Modi, airports represent more than transport infrastructure. They are instruments of economic connectivity and national development.
Modern aviation hubs influence trade, tourism, logistics and investment. Bringing a major infrastructure project from concept to completion after more than two decades requires institutional persistence and long term planning.
For aviation professionals and industry observers, the story of Jewar Airport illustrates a broader truth. Vision alone does not build airports. Vision sustained over time builds the runways that support national growth.
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