Noida International Airport (NIA) has commenced commercial flight operations, welcoming its first passengers in a major milestone for the new gateway to the National Capital Region and Western Uttar Pradesh.
IndiGo became the first airline to operate from the airport, with the first official flight arriving from Lucknow on the morning of 15 June.
Following its inauguration by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 28 March 2026; the airport has completed all Operational Readiness, Activation and Transition (ORAT) trials to ensure that necessary systems, processes, and teams are fully prepared to deliver safe, seamless, and efficient operations.
Initially, NIA will offer domestic routes, with international operations planned to commence in the coming months.
In order to ensure hassle-free onward journeys; passengers will be given access to a wide range of transport options that aim to cater to numerous budgets and travel needs, including airport taxis, app-based cab services, and dedicated bus routes connecting Delhi NCR and major cities across North India.
The airport also houses dedicated air cargo facilities developed by Air India SATS (AISATS), with an initial handling capacity of 200,000 metric tons annually and plans to scale up to 1.5 million tonnes.
Utilising digital solutions such as the IATA-recommended E-Freight system; NIA’s cargo hub will aim to streamline documentation, enable end-to-end live tracking, and support paperless cargo movement, whilst the airport’s warehousing and logistics zone will seek to provide e-commerce players and freight forwarders greater operational flexibility, strengthening North India’s trade and logistics ecosystem.
Christoph Schnellmann, Vice Chairman, Noida International Airport, said:Today is a proud moment for everyone who has contributed to making Noida International Airport a reality. We are delighted to welcome our first passengers and flight operations.
From the outset, our focus has been on creating an airport that combines operational excellence with an outstanding customer experience. We’re excited that IndiGo has launched operations at the airport today, and we look forward to providing passengers with a smooth, hassle-free experience in an airport that reflects the hospitality, culture and character of this region.
Noida International Airport has been designed in an effort to provide both a seamless and intuitive travel experience, with passengers able to benefit from DigiYatra-enabled journey without the need of physical documents, as well as take advantage of self-service check-in and bag-drop facilities.
