New Delhi, Aug 29 (IANS) The construction work at the Noida International Airport is going on in full swing and commercial operations are set to commence from here by April 2025. A runway measuring 3.9 km in length and 60 metres in width is ready, and the airport terminal building is also in the final stages.

The airport, touted as Asia's largest, is being developed by the Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL) in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddha Nagar district. Once readied, it will ease off the congestion at Indira Gandhi International Airport and will also cater to the burgeoning air travel demand in the Delhi-NCR.

As per the latest reports, the YIAPL has set a target of completing the calibration flights and validation procedures by December and launching the commercial operations by the end of April 2025.

A ground survey by the IANS team showed that the structure of Jewar Airport has been designed in line with the country's rich cultural heritage. The structures built here reflect a certain cultural experience. The entry point of the terminal building has been designed on lines of iconic gates of Varanasi.

The greenfield airport, once operational, will give a huge impetus to Uttar Pradesh's economy and will prove to be an important ingredient in fulfilling Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's $1 trillion dream.

The construction of the airport's first phase, spread across an area of 1,334 acres, started two years ago and was about to become operational by September this year, but the deadline suffered delays, due to a shortfall in raw materials including structural steel and other equipment.

The first phase of the airport will feature 1 runway and 1 terminal and will be empowered to handle traffic of 12 million passengers annually.

After the completion of all four phases, the airport will cater to an astounding 70 million passengers per year.

According to the Noida International Airport CEO, domestic and international carriers have shown keen interest in running their operations from the upcoming airport.

Domestic airlines IndiGo and Akasa Air have already entered agreements with Noida International Airport.

The airport, once ready, will not only serve as an aviation hub but also bolster economic growth and tourism in the Delhi-NCR zone.