Noida International Airport on Monday received its first landing with an IndiGo flight arriving from Lucknow' Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, officials said. The event was marked with a water cannon salute.
The event was shortly followed by the first takeoff from the greenfield project by a flight to Lucknow. The plane carried around 170 farmers, including women from the Jewar region whose land was acquired by the state government for the first phase development of the airport.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu flagged off the special civil flight.
"I am very happy to participate in the inauguration of civil operations at Jewar Airport. This has been long pending. People have been waiting for a long time. Finally, we have started today.
"I was talking to passengers, and they were also waiting for a long time because this area itself, the Noida International Airport, is connected to more than two to three crore people within a one-hour radius. Multiple cities and multiple towns are connected, all of which feel that this is a very good place for them to, you know, go to other destinations," he told reporters.
He said airlines had begun operations with four destinations and that IndiGo had launched services to four destinations on Monday.
He added that over the next four to six months, the airline was expected to connect the airport to 16 more destinations, calling it a significant opportunity for residents of Noida and nearby areas.
He said what seemed impossible ten years ago was made possible by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"We want to see Noida International Airport grow, not only as a transit hub or a hub for transportation, but as an aerotropolis. When we say aerotropolis, we want to see multiple industries come around this area and create a strong economic base, which is not only going to be catering to the country but also internationally," Naidu said.
He said that if India wants to become a developed nation, it must have a strong transport network.
Modi laid the foundation stone for this airport on November 25, 2021. On March 28, 2026, he inaugurated the airport.
IndiGo flight 6E 2278 took off from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow, at 7.12 am and landed at Noida International Airport at 7.58 am, according to airport officials. According to reports, the flight, which arrived from Lucknow, is scheduled to leave for Bengaluru from the newly operational airport and reach Bengaluru around 11:05 am.
The arrival marked the beginning of flight operations at the Jewar-based airport, an ambitious project aimed at enhancing air connectivity between western Uttar Pradesh, the National Capital Region, and other parts of the country.
The first flight took off around 8.19 am and had on board, among other passengers, Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh and officials of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority, including its CEO Rakesh Singh, additional CEO Shailendra Bhatia, PCS officer and former Jewar SDM Abhay Singh.
Officials said the new air connectivity is expected to benefit business travellers, students, professionals and other passengers by providing an additional travel option and supporting regional development.
The airport has been developed with a focus on creating a multimodal transport hub, with connectivity through air, road and other modes of transport, officials added.
In a statement, Aloke Singh, IndiGo's chief strategy officer, termed the opening of the airport a new chapter in India's aviation story.
"For IndiGo, the privilege of being the launch carrier at NIA is more than a commercial milestone; it is a commitment to western Uttar Pradesh, to the broader Delhi NCR, and the millions of travellers for whom this gateway opens new possibilities. We are proud to be here from day one," Singh said.
NIA vice chairman Christoph Schnellmann said IndiGo, as the launch carrier, seeks to connect NIA to key destinations across India, providing passengers with greater choice and convenience from day one.
"We look forward to working closely with IndiGo to deliver a seamless travel experience and support the continued growth of aviation, trade and tourism across the region," he said.
"We are very delighted and obliged to travel on the first flight from Noida International Airport to Lucknow. What we envisioned is becoming a reality before us today," Abrar Khan, a passenger, said.
Khan said they got an invitation to be part of the first flight from the chief minister. A matter of honour, he added.
Hera Rashid, a young woman from a nearby village, said it was a historic moment.
"We will experience the first flight. It is free for us, and we will meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow," she said.
A farmer, aged around 65, who was on the flight, said he gave 30 bighas of his land for the airport and was happy to see development. "We were also promised a job but are yet to get it," he claimed.
Another female passenger said the opportunity to be part of the first flight was a matter of pride for the villagers.
Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh said the launch of passenger services was not only the beginning of an air route but also a reflection of the contribution of farmers in the airport's journey.
"The very families who dedicated their ancestral land for the national interest and the state's bright future are today taking to the skies from that same soil," he said.
Hands that once tilled the land now hold boarding passes, he said.
"When the farmers of Jewar boarded the flight to Lucknow today, it was not merely their journey; it was a historic flight representing India's development, the dignity of farmers and a transforming Uttar Pradesh," the lawmaker said.
