The inaugural flight from Lucknow landed at Noida International Airport at 7.55 am on Monday, as the new airport commenced commercial operations following its official opening by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28. IndiGo flight 6E-2278 departed from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow and arrived at Noida International Airport on schedule. The return service, IndiGo flight 6E-2279, is scheduled to leave the Noida airport at 6.55 pm and arrive back in Lucknow at 8 pm.
Passengers on board applauded to celebrate the successful touchdown of the inaugural service, and the aircraft was greeted with a traditional water cannon salute upon landing on the tarmac.
Akasa Air is also set to launch daily services from Noida to Bengaluru and Navi Mumbai from Tuesday, June 16, making it the second carrier to operate from the newly opened airport.
While commercial passenger services are now underway, the airport's first cargo flight is scheduled to depart on Wednesday, June 17, according to a previous announcement by Noida International Airport Limited. This initial freight service will operate on a domestic route.
Until now, many travellers journeying between Noida and Lucknow have had to use flights operating through Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi or make the journey by road. Officials view the new flight connection as a milestone development for Uttar Pradesh's aviation sector, designed to significantly improve connectivity between the state's administrative and business hubs.
The airport has been built under a public-private partnership arrangement by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG. The installation comprises a 3,900-meter-long runway intended for use by wide-body aircrafts, together with a state-of-the-art navigational system, which includes the Instrument Landing System and advanced airfield lighting system.
It had been earlier announced that a comprehensive security net had been put in place for the airport, utilising AI-driven surveillance systems. As many as 1,030 men from the Central Industrial Security Force have been employed for the security purposes, while the Uttar Pradesh Police has established its own police station for the airport area.
Also read: Noida airport to begin flight operations from June 15
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