IndiGo's A320 makes first validation flight for Noida airport

Noida: The first validation test flight for the upcoming Noida International Airport was conducted successfully on Monday, with an Airbus 320 of IndiGo receiving a ceremonial water cannon salute upon the maiden landing at the greenfield facility, officials said.

The airport is being built in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh, some 75 km off Delhi and will be the national capital region's second international airport after the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Concessionaire Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of Swiss firm Zurich International Airport AG, is building the airport for the Uttar Pradesh government in a public-private partnership model.

A validation flight is conducted to verify that an airport meets safety, operational, and regulatory standards and is a vital element of the aerodrome licensing process.

At the event, Union Minister for Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said, "With the validation flight happening today, we are committed to finishing the airport project before the end of April." "Today marks a very important occasion in the progress of the airport and definitely whatever support is required from the Ministry of Civil Aviation we will continuously provide so that the early operations from the airport can begin," he said.

Naidu noted that this project has so far had 50 million man-hours and not a single incident has happened.

"I don't think any other project in the country of such scale can boast of that record so I congratulate the whole team who has made this possible," the minister said.

Noida International Airport CEO Christoph Schnellmann said the successful completion of validation flights reflects the dedication and meticulous planning that has gone into ensuring the airport is ready for commercial operations.

"We are gearing up for the airport's opening and look forward to welcoming passengers to the airport," he added.

The validation flight is being conducted on an Airbus A-320 to test the RNP (Required Navigation Performance) procedures and ILS (instrument landing system) approach procedures. RNP is a set of navigation specifications that allow aircraft to fly precise flight paths with high accuracy.

Meanwhile, Naidu said the country is witnessing exceptional success in the civil aviation industry because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In the last 10 years, the number of airports in the country has almost doubled, he added.

The minister lauded Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha MP Mahesh Sharma and Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh for the progress of the airport project.

"Everyone has worked together as a team to see that the stream becomes reality. From the ministry I can tell you that Jewar International Airport is the most prestigious project in the whole country especially because of the idea that it is catering to the Delhi-NCR territory and also for the Western Uttar Pradesh," Naidu said.

"In the future also, it is going to be a wonderful airport. Not only India but the whole world is going to be proud of the airport," he said.

"I need to especially thank the farmers who have made this airport a reality and all the workers who have worked day and night to ensure that the timeline is also met," he added.

In a statement, the Uttar Pradesh government said, "The successful landing at Jewar, dubbed to be Asia's largest international airport, marks another milestone for Uttar Pradesh, now home to the highest number of airports in India." "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the airport on November 25, 2021. Following this, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made several visits to oversee progress, ensuring that work was carried out with the highest quality standards," it added.

The airport is set to open new avenues for growth in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, and surrounding areas, the government said.

It said this is Uttar Pradesh's fifth international airport, joining the ranks of Lucknow, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Kushinagar.

In a statement, the Noida International Airport said its adherence to the stringent safety and operational standards required for commercial operations. Following the validation flight, it said it would finalise the required documentation for aerodrome certification and submit it to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The concession period for Noida International Airport commenced on October 1, 2021, and will run for 40 years.

At its opening, the airport will feature one runway and one terminal and handle a capacity of 12 million passengers, with the potential for further development in additional construction phases, it added.