LUCKNOW: The Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) is contemplating to develop Noida International Greenfield Airport, coming up at Jewar in Greater Noida, into a transit hub for the international flights of Asia-Pacific countries including Japan, Australia and Singapore.
As per the NIAL sources, a letter was written in that connection to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation seeking permission to execute the plan.
According to NIAL CEO Arun Vir Singh, similar to the lines of Dubai, a transit hub for Emirates (airline) and Frankfurt, a transit hub for Lufthansa, if Noida International airport also became a transit hub, it will attract more traffic. Even Zurich International AG, the firm developing the airport with NIAL, a special purpose vehicle of the Uttar Pradesh government, has also been roped in this task.
Singh claimed that transit hub plays a significant role in the growth of air traffic at a particular airport as all international airlines choose their transit hub where flights halt for hours before they take off to another country.
As per the NIAL sources, Zurich International AG has been asked to communicate with Vistara, Air Asia and Air India to make Noida International Airport their transit hub. It would benefit passengers besides giving a robust push for commercial business through Jewar. The airport will become operational by September, next year.
The work on the upcoming international airport was going on a war footing and Zurich International AG had so far completed over 25 per cent of the work on the project, said officials concerned. The Swiss company is developing one runway, one terminal building and other required infrastructure on 1,334 hectares of land in phase one of the airport.
Meanwhile, land acquisition of 1,363.45 hectares for the second phase of the airport project is underway and the modalities for the acquisition of another 2,000 hectares of land for the third and fourth phases of the project were on, said officials.