Noida airport handled 77,000 passengers in July, below its early traffic target

Noida International Airport handled 77,000 passengers across 1,044 flights in July, its first full month of domestic passenger operations after opening on June 15.

The airport had recorded 104 flights and 25,000 passengers in June. Zurich Airport International AG, its primary developer and concessionaire, said it expects a slower-than-anticipated ramp-up, while maintaining confidence in the long-term Indian aviation market.

Before Air India Express withdrew as a launch airline, the airport had projected about 60 lakh passengers in its first year — an average of five lakh a month. IndiGo is currently the airport’s largest operator, while Akasa runs a smaller number of flights.

For NCR travellers, Noida airport is competing with Delhi’s IGI Airport, which is closer for many residents and has more established transport links. IGI has annual capacity of 11 crore passengers and handled fewer than eight crore last year, leaving room for additional flights there. Zurich cited airline financial pressures, connectivity challenges and wider geopolitical uncertainty among the factors affecting the new airport’s early traffic.