By Rohit Vaid
Greater Noida, Nov 24 (IANS): Construction work for a new greenfield airport at Jewar, Greater Noida will begin within this week.
The ground-breaking ceremony, to be held on Thursday, will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The actual construction work will begin within this week," said Arunvir Singh, the CEO of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Area, which is a key partner in the PPP project.
"We plan to have the first phase completed and operational by September 2024."
According to Singh, the airport in September of 2024 will feature one runway as well as a terminal building.
"Our own captive area has enough potential to fulfil the passenger demand required for such a mega project."
"Nevertheless, we will also be serving additional areas of UP, Haryana and of Delhi."
The first stage of the project will be completed at a cost of around Rs 5,730 crore.
Singh also pointed out that mega industrialisation along with urbanisation trends have been triggered with the commencement of the project.
"Over Rs 30,000 crore worth of funds have come in for several industrial and urban cluster that are to be located in this area such as the 'Film City'."
In terms of airport development, NIA will be designed and operated by Switzerland-based Zurich International Airport Ltd AG (ZAIA) under a 40-year concession.
"The airport's design is inspired by India and will include various elements synonymous with the region's architecture. The terminal forecourt will feature flights of steps like the famous ghats of Varanasi and Haridwar, welcoming and bringing together people," said Christoph Schnellmann, CEO, Noida International Airport.
"Delivering the look and feel of a haveli, a courtyard will allow fresh air and sunlight into the terminal building. Inspired by the key rivers of the region, a white, translucent, wavy roof will give the effect of a flowing river. The passenger terminal will feature intricate ornamental lattice screens and red granite, inspired from Indian architecture."
The first phase of the mammoth project is expected to be completed by 2024 with a capacity for 12 million passengers per year.
The NIAL is about 72 km away from the IGI Airport, about 40 km from Noida, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad, about 28 km from Greater Noida, 65 km from Gurugram and 130 km from Agra.
At present, it is connected via the Yamuna Expressway.
In addition, other multi-modal transport options have been planned.