India approves second airport for New Delhi

The Indian govt has approved plans to build a new international airport for New Delhi at a cost of INR100b (US$1.55b) for the first phase of construction. Noida International Airport will be built on a 3,000 hectare greenfield site at Jewar in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The first phase, with a single runway, will be operational in 4-5 years, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation said. Subsequent phases of development will see 3 additional runways and expand capacity to cater for the expected 30-50m passengers annually over the next 10-15 years. Total cost of the airport is expected to be INR150b to INR200b. The new airport, south-east of the capital, will be 72 km from New Delhi’s current airport Indira Gandhi International and close to the Yamuna Expressway, the main highway between New Delhi and Agra. <br/>