Jewar Airport Set to Receive License Soon: Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu

Hyderabad, Dec 11 (NationPress) Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu stated on Wednesday that the validation flight at Jewar Airport, also referred to as Noida International Airport, was conducted successfully and officials are keen to obtain the airport's license at the earliest opportunity.

"The validation flight took place at Jewar Airport. It went exceedingly well," the Minister informed the media during an event to launch an AI-driven digital twin platform at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad.

Ram Mohan Naidu indicated that the construction of Jewar International Airport is approaching completion.

"We are also aiming to secure its license as quickly as possible so that the residents of NCR (National Capital Region) and western Uttar Pradesh can access an additional airport besides Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi," he added.

The Civil Aviation Minister highlighted that Jewar is a strategically significant location, and they anticipate it becoming highly viable.

"Initially, they plan to operate with a capacity of 12 million passengers. The progress is promising, and we expect to commence operations in April," he remarked.

Addressing the issue of hoax calls, Ram Mohan Naidu mentioned that the Ministry is working on two legislative changes to tackle this problem.

He noted that amendments to the Aircraft Security Rules are underway, and a gazette will be published shortly.

"We are formulating legislation to ensure that any offenders involved in such activities can be placed on a no-fly list," he stated.

Additionally, an amendment to the Swaska Act, which addresses civil aviation-related offenses, is also proposed.

"We have suggested a minor amendment that is currently undergoing inter-ministerial consultation. Once we receive feedback from the relevant ministries, we will proceed with the amendment," he explained.

Earlier during the event, he urged GMR to expedite the construction of Bhogapuram International Airport near Visakhapatnam.

Ram Mohan Naidu emphasized that they aim to complete the airport by June 2026 and assured that there would be no compromises on this timeline.

He expressed gratitude to GMR for granting clearance for the development of Warangal Airport, which has been a long-standing demand.

The Minister also acknowledged that GMR Group is the largest private airport operator in Asia, managing two of the top four airports in the nation - Delhi and Hyderabad. It is also one of the largest operators globally, handling 100 million passengers annually.

He further noted that Hyderabad Airport connects to approximately 90 destinations both domestically and internationally. The airport has witnessed remarkable growth in passenger numbers, rising from 6.5 million in 2010 to 25 million by 2024. Flight operations have increased from 220 flights daily to 550 during the same timeframe.

In anticipation of continued growth, the terminal capacity was recently expanded to 34 million passengers per annum.

Ram Mohan Naidu expressed his vision for the aviation ecosystem to be not only robust but also smarter, more efficient, and more people-centric.

Reflecting on the rapid expansion of the aviation sector in the country, he noted that in October of this year, domestic air passenger traffic grew by 5.3 percent, reaching 1.36 crore, up from 1.26 crore the previous month.

The Civil Aviation Minister indicated that in December 2023, domestic passenger traffic reached 1.37 crore, with the country surpassing this number in just 29 days.

He remarked that this marks the best-ever month for Indian aviation, with November 7 being particularly memorable for surpassing 5 lakh passengers.

The minister pointed out that the number of airports in the country has increased to 157 from just 74 in 2014. He announced plans for it to soon reach 158, with three more airports in the pipeline.

Ram Mohan Naidu shared his ambition to establish an additional 50 airports in the country over the next five years and a total of 200 airports within the next two decades.

The Minister praised GMR for initiating the Airport Predictive Operation Centre (APOC), a significant advancement in airport management and operations at Hyderabad Airport. He described it as the beginning of a new chapter in aviation operations.

This innovative platform merges airside, landside, and terminal operations into a cohesive system, utilizing real-time data to enhance decision-making, reduce disruptions, and ensure smooth operations.

Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Telangana’s Minister for Roads and Buildings, GBS Raju, Chairman of Airports, GMR Group, SGK Kishore, Executive Director South & Chief Innovation Officer at GMR Airports, and Pradeep Panicker, CEO of GHIAL, were also in attendance.