Akasa signs agreement with Noida airport after Indigo
Akasa Air, the nation’s newest airline, and the soon-to-be Noida International Airport (NIA) announced a strategic alliance on Friday. Under the agreement, the airline would base its aircraft at the airport and conduct both local and international flights.
With this deal, Akasa Air—which on Thursday put in a binding order for 150 Boeing 737 Max planes—became the second airline to commit to using the NIA for operations. In November of last year, the airport and IndiGo, the biggest airline in India, signed a deal for IndiGo to serve as the launch carrier.
Christoph Schnellmann, CEO of Noida International Airport, said, “This partnership highlights our commitment to strengthen air connectivity in the Delhi NCR region and Western Uttar Pradesh.” NIA, the second airport in the newly created National Capital Region (NCR) area, plans to open for business by the end of 2024.
Twelve million people a year will be able to travel through the airport’s single runway and terminal in its first phase. Following the fourth phase’s completed, NIA will be able to handle 70 million passengers annually.
The over $2 billion project that went into building NIA at Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, is anticipated to meet the region’s strong demand for aviation services. The biggest airport in the nation, Delhi International Airport, which is managed by the GMR Group, handled over 72 million passengers in 2023, and it is projected to surpass 100 million passengers over the following three to four years.
The CEO of Delhi International Airport (DIAL), Videh Jaipuriar, recently told this publication that the two airports have a sizable market to serve.
Where there is greater connection and convenience will be a decision made by both the airlines and the passengers. In my opinion, the new airport won’t have a significant effect on traffic, finances, or income. According to Jaipuriar, there is sufficient and increasing business for one additional airport to thrive.
