Key committee recommends five runways for Jewar airport

LUCKNOW/NOIDA: The proposed Noida International Airport in western Uttar Pradesh's Jewar can have up to five runways, according to a recommendation by a key committee overseeing the Rs 29,560 crore project.

The recommendation was made at a meeting of the Project Monitoring Implementation Committee (PMIC) for the airport chaired by Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari at the Lok Bhavan in Lucknow on Thursday.

The airport's consulting body PWC and Chief Executive Officer Arun Veer Singh of the Noida Airport and Yamuna Authority apprised the chief secretary of the feasibility of extending the number of runways.

"Earlier six to eight runways were being considered but the PMIC has now recommended that five runways can be made at the Jewar airport after a feasibility study," a senior government official told PTI.

"The recommendation will now be taken to the state Cabinet for its decision and that meeting is likely to be held later this month," the official added.

The airport is being developed by Swiss firm Zurich Airport International AG and in the first phase, the airport, which is expected to go operational by 2023, will have two runways, according to officials.

"In the first phase of the airport development, 1,365 hectares of land will be acquired for the third runway.

1,334 hectares of land has been acquired for the first phase of two runways. In the second phase, a total of 3,418 hectares land will be required for three runways," according to an official statement on Thursday.

"The first part of the second phase will cover 1,365 hectares, the second phase will cover 1,318 hectares and the third phase will cover 735 hectares of land.

The five runways will include a total of 4,752 hectares of land at Jewar Airport," it stated.

Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner Alok Tandon and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Additional Chief Secretary S P Goyal also said that additional land will be stated the need to acquire land for the expansion of Jewar Airport.

Principal Secretary (Law) JP Singh, Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner Alok Tandon, Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari, Greater Noida Authority CEO Narendra Bhushan and other officials were also present in the meeting.