Jewar airport, which is coming up on the outskirts of Delhi, will cater to 12 million passengers from its opening day in 2024, Daniel Bircher, Managing Director, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited said on Wednesday.
Bircher was speaking to the media after the concession agreement for starting work on the airport was signed between the Government of Uttar Pradesh and Zurich Airport International.
Construction work at the airport is expected to begin next year, officials said.
“The planning for the next phase of 30 million passengers starts when the airport reaches 80 per cent of 30 million passengers,” Bircher added.
Zurich Airport was awarded the right to build and manage Jewar airport in November 2019.
Zurich won the bid as it agreed to pay Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) ₹400.97 per passenger using the new greenfield airport. This was the highest by any of the four bidders in the fray. Adani Enterprises Limited quoted ₹360 per passenger and Delhi International Airport Limited ₹351.
Asked as to how much of the ₹400.97 fee will be passed on to the passengers, Bircher said that will depend on what decision the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority takes.
In response to a question on whether this is the right time to build an airport as the International Air Transport Authority feels that passenger numbers will reach pre-Covid levels only in 2024, Bircher pointed out that IATA estimates are for international travel.
“Indian domestic travel will recover at a different speed. The airport caters to 90 per cent of domestic traffic,” he said, adding that it is difficult to give an exact spilt on how many passengers will fly to Delhi airport and how many to the upcoming Jewar airport.
Zurich Airport has a 40-year concession. The capital investment in the first phase is expected to be ₹4,666.35 crore or CHF (Swiss franc) 650 million during the construction period which is expected to last four years.