The Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) is all set to get its second international airport, as developer Zurich Airport International will hand over Noida International Airport (NIA) to the Uttar Pradesh government on time.
Phase 1 of the airport is expected to be handed over towards the end of 2024, with an overall investment of Rs 5,730 crore. CNBC TV-18 exclusively caught up with Christoph Schnellmann, CEO of Noida International Airport.
Q: What's the update on the construction of Phase 1? Will it be handed over on time to the Uttar Pradesh government?
We are on schedule to deliver Phase 1 Noida International Airport by end of 2024. We have awarded the EPC contract to Tata Projects four months ago. Tata Projects has mobilised men and machinery. In the first phase, one runway and one terminal will be able to handle traffic of 12 million passengers per year.
Q: Due to the hike in raw material prices how much has the cost gone up? How are you managing the increased cost of construction? When will trials begin?
We have agreed to the EPC contract on a fixed time and fixed cost basis. We are confident that we will be able to deliver the airport's infrastructure within the sanctioned funding.
We are confident that the project will be completed within Rs 5,730 crore. Trials will begin 4-6 months before the handover. We will begin with simple trials and tests of individual systems.
Q: What is the biggest hindrance to ease of doing business that you see currently?
Zurich Airport is doing business in India for the past many years. We were the initial promoters of Bengaluru Airport. We are working hand in hand with the central and state governments.
Q: The union aviation minister envisions making India an MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Operations) hub. What are your plans?
Excited about the potential of MRO activities. The NIA will have a dedicated 40 acres of space for MRO. We are witnessing unprecedented growth in air travel in India. We are convinced there's a need for extra airport infrastructure MRO will grow further in India.
Q: When is the construction of the metro is expected? Are there plans of adding more connectivity?
Connectivity to NIA should be in sync with the airport infrastructure. The airport lies directly lies on Yamuna Expressway so it's well-connected with Delhi, Agra, and NCR. There are plans for metro connectivity by the state government. A direct rail network between Delhi and Varanasi is also being planned by the government. There will be road connectivity from the east for industrial traffic.
The concession period for the greenfield airport, which is spread over 1,300 hectares has been given for a period of 40 years. The construction will be completed in four phases. After the completion of the final phase, the airport will have two terminals and two runways to manage 70 million passengers per year.
In the first phase, the airport will be able to handle 1,00,000 air traffic movements per year and 5,00,000 per year after the final phase. The airport will be able to handle 2,50,000 cargo tonnage in the first phase and 1.2 million by the end of the last phase.
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