TajSATS to open in-flight kitchen at Noida International Airport

Delhi NCR's upcoming second international airport, Noida International Airport, has signed a concession agreement with TajSATS for the development of an in-flight kitchen facility. The concession agreement has been signed for a period of 37 years.

TajSATS will develop the in-flight kitchen facility based on a design, finance, build, operate, and transfer (DBFOT) model.

Christoph Schnellmann, CEO, Noida International Airport, said, “Pleased to welcome TajSATS to build and operate an In-Flight Kitchen at the Noida International Airport. TajSATS comes with a vast experience in serving numerous airports and we feel that their offering will synergise with ours to provide a thorough world-class experience to our customers.”

This will be TajSATS' ninth production facility in India, covering an area of 40,000 square feet. In the initial phase, it will be able to serve over 15,000 meals. The facility will also be equipped to serve the lounge facilities and F&B outlets inside the NIA.

Manish Gupta, CEO, TajSATS said, “Noida International Airport presents a tremendous growth opportunity for airline catering. This signing strengthens our presence in Delhi NCR as this will be the second facility in the region.”

Last month, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) assigned the IATA location identifier 'DXN' to NIA, also known as the three-letter code.

Christoph told CNBC-TV18, "We are committed to our deadline and we will operationalize operations at the airport by the end of 2024. In the first phase there will be one terminal with an annual capacity of 12 million passengers, 28 aircraft stands and a 3.9-km-long North Runway with the capability of handling 100,000 air traffic movement."

He also said, "Pleased with the progress of the entire construction. The construction activity is continuing under full swing, over 7000 workers are involved 24 hours. The Airport Terminal rising up the ground, ATC tower has exceeded 30 metres and will reach its full height soon and then a cabin will be added. The pavement work on the runway is happening across 3900 metres."

By the end of phase 4, the airport will have an annual capacity of 70 million passengers, two passenger terminals, two runways, and the ability to handle 500,000 air traffic movements.