NIA CEO Christoph Schnellmann
Credit: Special arrangement
Bengaluru: One of the three greenfield international airports coming up in the country, Noida International Airport (NIA), being constructed by Zurich International AG’s subsidiary - Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) - is hurtling towards completion and targets rolling into operations by the end-2024.
The airport is set to hand over the Air Traffic Control tower to the Airports Authority of India early next year and expects to see its first test flight to take off by mid-2024, NIA's chief executive officer Christoph Schnellmann told DH’s Lavpreet Kaur, while on an exclusive site tour of the airport recently. On Friday, NIA announced signing on its first airline - Indigo.
Edited excerpts from the conversation.
What is the progress so far with NIA?
Construction is in full swing and buildings are shooting out of the ground. Just recently, we put the top slab on the ATC tower which stands tall at 38 metres above the landscape, pavement activities are underway along the entire length of the runway and will be complete in the first quarter of 2024. The structural steel is now rising for the passenger terminal with the roof and the facade. In a few months, the office blocks, water and sewage treatment plants and electric substations will be ready.
The interiors' work related to technical installations will be starting soon. Parallelly, we build up our teams and partners to recruit, develop and train their teams. The runway’s pavements are expected to be completed in the first quarter of next year. We are also installing navigation equipment and landing systems too, after which serious trials will start in the middle of the next year.
Could you take us through your immediate and long-term targets for the airport?
So we are currently developing airport infrastructure that will cater to about 12 million passengers in phase 1, which will open next year. This will include a passenger terminal, a single runway and cargo facilities along with fuel and ancillary facilities which are required for operations.
We have also presented a master plan that sees this capacity grow to accommodate 70 million passengers in the next 20-25 years. Over four phases, we'll see a second terminal and a parallel runway to the south.
Are you following any particular theme for the airport, such as Bengaluru’s ‘airport in the garden’?
Our tagline is ‘Indian hospitality coupled with Swiss technology and efficiency’. That is the fusion that we are trying to create in terms of experience. The passenger terminal’s design is inspired by India and will include various elements synonymous with the region’s architecture. The terminal forecourt will feature flights of steps like the famous ghats of Varanasi and Haridwar. The courtyard will have the look and feel of a haveli, while the translucent, wavy roof will be inspired by the important rivers of the region The passenger terminal will feature intricate ornamental lattice screens, inspired by Indian architecture. Noida International Airport will showcase a grand entry to Uttar Pradesh.
How is the airport connectivity taking shape?
The airport is just 600 metres from the Yamuna Expressway. An interchange from the expressway directly to the airport is being constructed and will be ready next year. It will help reach Greater Noida from here. There will also be independent road access to the east catering to cargo. It's very important as it allows us to segregate cargo traffic from passenger traffic.
Equally important is the ongoing work with the authorities in the NCR and the state government for connecting the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) to the airport. This will be necessary to cater to passenger growth. Overall, we are working on roads, rail and bus networks to provide options at every price category.
In what way is the NIA going to be distinct from the current IGI airport in New Delhi?
Post Covid-19, the industry has recovered and with the huge aircraft order, we fully anticipate this double-digit annual growth to continue and our premise is that Delhi-NCR needs additional airport infrastructure to cater to this growth in traffic. Our catchments will be Delhi and the National Capital Region but there's an equally strong independent catchment here in greater Noida, Agra and from Kasi further south. We expect the tourist and pilgrim traffic to go up here.
What kind of cargo capacity are you looking to build?
With Air India SATS as a partner, we are developing a cargo infrastructure of over 80 acres. There will also be a large multimodal cargo hub with facilities catering to road logistics and distribution centres. We will be able to handle and support about 2,00,000 tonnes of cargo. This will grow with time as the volumes increase.
How are you planning to expand the airport in the coming decades?
What is unique about this project is that the state government has already begun to acquire land to the north and south of this airport with plans to further expand the airport once we reach our capacity. With that, the airport can have 6 runways. We have seen this time and again in airports across the world. After development, it is very difficult to find land in the vicinity to expand.
What can the passengers expect to be different at NIA?
We have the benefit of being able to design a new greenfield airport and make use of the technology that's available today without having to deal with legacy systems. We will deploy the newest generation CT screening equipment meaning you do not need to remove your electronics from the security check as you move through.
How many gates and check-in counters will the airport have?
The terminal will feature 48 check-in counters and 13 boarding gates, with the latest technology including facial recognition for faster check-in.
How many airlines have shown interest in the airport so far?
We have been engaging with the airlines even before we bid for the project to understand what the interests and requirements are of these various stakeholders. The domestic carriers have been showing strong interest. Feedback from international carriers, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, has been very positive.
As far as flight distribution is concerned, it is up to the carriers which destinations they want to serve from Noida.
What about parking slots for aircraft?
This is one of those areas that we have identified in interactions with airlines. There is a need for night parking especially with additional aircraft coming into India. For now, there are going to be 10 aerobridges and over 25 parking bays.