By Admin 
Noida Airport Report: One month has passed since the commencement of Noida International Airport (first phase), built at a cost of about Rs 10 thousand crores. The figures of four weeks show that the number of flights and passengers is gradually increasing at the airport, but the other aspect of the picture is equally big.
Only 61 thousand 287 passengers traveled through this airport with a capacity of 1.2 crore annual passengers in the first month, which means that the airport is currently able to utilize only about 5 percent of its capacity.
The interesting thing is that the number of flights that operate at Jewar Airport in a whole day is equal to that at Delhi’s IGI Airport in about half an hour. In such a situation, the question is arising whether Jewar will soon become a strong alternative to Delhi Airport or will we have to wait for a long time?
Picture changed in four weeks but the beginning was very small
Between June 15 and June 21, there were only 86 flight movements at the airport. In the second week this number remained 88. There was a big jump in the third week and flight movements increased to 201. In the fourth week i.e. between July 6 and 12, this figure reached 224. That means the number of flights has almost tripled compared to the first week.
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The number of passengers has also increased from 1,427 on the first day to about 2,800 in a day. Initially the airport was connected to only 5 cities, now this number has increased to 15. However, on an average only 2500 to 2600 passengers are traveling every day, whereas around 1,300 flights operate every day at Delhi Airport.
40 percent passengers only changing flights
Between June 15 and July 13, 18 thousand 424 passengers took off from the airport and 18 thousand 89 passengers landed here. But the most interesting figure is that of connecting passengers. During this period, there were 11 thousand 732 transfer and 13 thousand 42 in-transit passengers, that is, about 40 percent of the total traffic was of such passengers who had reached Jewar only to catch another flight. This also means that the number of local passengers is still much less than expected.
Airlines also changed strategy
The airport started with three airlines, but in the very first month Air India Express stopped its flights from here. Akasa Air also closed Bengaluru and Navi Mumbai routes and is now running only two flights to Mumbai.
At present, Indigo has made the biggest bet. Indigo is now running 105 flights a week from Jewar to 15 cities. There are two flights a day each for Lucknow and Jaipur. However, due to less passengers, the Noida-Chandigarh route also had to be closed.
The biggest thing is that even after a month, no international flight has started from Jewar, which is called ‘International Airport’.
Ground report- there is hope and also concern
During the ground report, talks were held with taxi and cab drivers outside the airport. He says that at present very few rides are available. A cab driver said that now most of the people are in transit. There are very few passengers going to the city after getting out of the flight. Many times one has to wait for hours.
However, the opinion of the local people is not completely disappointing. Many people say that the airport is still new. As more airlines come, new cities are added and international flights start, the number of passengers will also increase rapidly.
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Connectivity is the biggest challenge right now
Passengers say that it is not easy to reach the airport right now. The long deserted stretch of Yamuna Expressway after Pari Chowk makes people uncomfortable, especially in the morning and night.
YEIDA is working on improving lighting and other facilities on the expressway. Meanwhile, NHAI is building an interchange connecting Eastern Peripheral Expressway with Yamuna Expressway near Dankaur, which is expected to open by August 15. With this, it will be easy to reach the airport from Ghaziabad, Hapur and surrounding areas. However, direct connectivity like metro or rapid rail is still a long way off.
real test by 2030
The biggest challenge of Jewar Airport is that Delhi’s IGI Airport has not yet reached its full capacity. Its annual capacity is about 11 crore passengers but last year less than 8 crore passengers traveled there.
Most travelers in Delhi-NCR still have the option of IGI with better connectivity, more flights and cheaper public transport. Apart from this, challenges like closure of Pakistan’s airspace, expensive aviation fuel and weak rupee have also increased the pressure on airlines. It is not easy for companies to start new flights in such an environment.
The figures for the first month show two different pictures. On one hand, the number of flights and cities is increasing rapidly, on the other hand the airport is currently running at only 5 percent of its capacity.
There is hope among the people on the ground that if more airlines join, international flights start and access to the airport becomes easier, then Jewar Airport can become a major aviation hub of Delhi-NCR in the coming years. But at present its journey has just begun.