Noida International Airport, which is set to open in April next year, has been so overwhelmed by airline demand for aircraft parking bays that it decided to increase its number. The airport is expecting to receive 50 lakh passengers within its first year. This is a “very important milestone for any greenfield project that achieves nearly half its capacity in such a short timeframe,” NIA’s CEO Christoph Schnellmann said to TOI on Saturday.
“Even before we open the airport, we’ve already begun to expand the apron positions beyond what was initially anticipated. Airlines that we have signed with are very interested in storing aircraft here at night. In fact, night parking is in high demand. In NCR. “We had planned 25 parking bays, but now we are adding nine more,” Schnellmann said.
Delhi Airport has a large number, almost 70, parking bays occupied for over 2-3 years now by IndiGo Airbus A320 fleet due to Pratt & Whitney engines issues and planes of grounded GoAir. The parking shortage at IGIA was a major concern when the capital hosted the G20 Summit in the past year. Delhi Airport has tried unsuccessfully for years to get the planes off the ground.
IndiGo Akasa and other airlines have given the airport a chance to showcase its new airport. “We are in talks with all other domestic & international airlines (including Tata Group carriers) and are seeing good response from them,” the CEO said.
The second phase of Indian Aviation’s development is expected to begin before the end of the decade. “We plan to begin operations in April 2025. Our initial capacity will be 1.2 crore passengers annually (CPA). We expect to handle 50 lakhs passengers in the first full year, given the growth of aviation in India, the induction of planes by airlines and the interest in NIA.
“Handling close to half of the capacity in such a timeframe is significant for an airport that is a greenfield,”
says the CEO. Navi Mumbai Airport is expected to open around the time of Mumbai’s CSMIA. It will be easy to get flights. Delhi’s IGIA has a long way to go before it reaches its maximum capacity. NIA is competing for traffic with IGIA. Both NCR airports are run by different groups, while both Mumbai Metropolitan Area airports, operated by the Adani group, are also different. And UP aggressively tried to woo airline companies by reducing the tax rate on jet fuel, while Delhi still levies some of the highest rates.
According to the original plans, NIA was supposed to grow from 1.2 CPA up to 3 CPA through nearly doubling terminal 1. In the future, a second runway will be added and a new terminal will be built (also in two phases). This will increase NIA’s capacity to 5 CPA.
“Our agreement is to start the next phase of development as soon as we reach 80 percent of our capacity. We expect phase two to begin in 2-3 years after we start operations. This is why we are aiming to finish this decade before the end,” Schnellmann said.
Phase-1 will cost approximately INR 6 billion. In a few months, NIA will submit its tariff proposal for approval to the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority. The CEO did not comment on whether NIA would also charge a user development (UDF) fee on incoming passengers — something that is levied by many airports in India as a way to balance out the UDF requirement.
We have put a lot of emphasis on terminal infrastructure being quick & easy to use for both airlines and passengers, thereby achieving cost efficiency. He said that the cost of travel will be comparable to other airports with similar sizes.
NIA will be able to handle international flights in addition to domestic flights from the first day. We have a mixed-rotation where domestic and international flights board and alight at two different levels.
“An aircraft arriving from Mumbai can fly to Dubai the next time,”
he said.
