New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS): The Noida International Airport (NIA) on Tuesday announced its membership of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative.
"By joining the UNGC, NIA reaffirms its commitment to aligning its operations and strategies with the Ten Principles of the Global Compact, which focus on human rights, labour standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption practices. NIA has also joined a global effort to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," it said in a statement.
The UN Global Compact, launched in 2000, includes over 15,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories from more than 160 countries. Through this initiative, the NIA aims to deepen its ongoing commitment to responsible business practices as it progresses toward its ambitious goals.
Noida International Airport CEO Christoph Schnellmann said: "Joining the United Nations Global Compact is a natural extension of our commitment to building a world-class airport that operates with sustainability at its core. We are proud to be part of a global movement that calls for responsible business action, and we will continue to integrate sustainable practices across every aspect of our development."
As part of the UNGC, NIA commits to transparent reporting on its progress in areas such as environmental responsibility, labour relations, and anti-corruption. The airport’s net-zero emissions goal, supported by sustainable design and operations has been some of the key criteria based on which we selected the airport’s planning and design teams, construction partners, and concessionaires, he added.
Noida International Airport will connect the greater Delhi area and western Uttar Pradesh with other cities in India and the world. The airport is committed to an ambitious net-zero emissions goal supported by sustainable design and operations principles. Construction and development work at Noida International Airport is at an advanced stage and the management expects to begin commercial operations by the end of April 2025.
"Work on the runway, the passenger terminal and the control tower is well advanced. We continue to pass important milestones on the road to operational readiness. This is a large and complex project, and the next few weeks of construction activities are crucial," according to an NIA statement.
Recently, the concessions for ground handling, the operation of commercial areas and important maintenance contracts were awarded. In addition, agreements have been signed with several airlines for flight connections from Noida International Airport., the company said recently.