Why is Noida International Airport billed as India’s first ‘net-zero emission airport’?

Noida International Airport is one among Uttar Pradesh’s eight international airports, built on 5,000 acres of land for an estimated amount of 29,560 crore rupees.

On Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Noida International Airport near Jewar in Uttar Pradesh’s Gautam Budh district. In the event, Modi has said that it will become “the logistic gateway of northern India.” Once completed, it will become the country’s largest airport.

Speaking before Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stirred up yet another controversy after accusing “followers of Jinnah” (he was referring to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav) of fermenting trouble in the state’s sugarcane belt.

Here are a few key highlights of India’s soon-to-be-completed largest Noida International Airport:

• The Noida International Airport at Jewar is spread across 5,000 acres of land. It is constructed by Zurich International Airport AG at an estimated cost of 29,560 crore rupees. A concessionaire agreement had been signed with the SPV, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, of the bid winner.
• The airport is a joint venture of a government organisation in which the UP government and Noida Authority has a 35% stake each. The Greater Noida Industrial Authority has a 12.5% stake, while Yamuna Expressway Industrial Authority has a 12.5% shareholding.
• PM Modi said that the airport would have multi-modal connectivity due to its location. The airport is close to the existing Yamuna Expressway and Eastern Peripheral Expressway. It would be linked with Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, Metro Extension from Noida and the proposed High-Speed Rail (Delhi-Varanasi) at the airport terminal.
• Phase I of the Noida International Airport will have a capacity to serve 12 million passengers a year and will be completed in three years. It will have four phases in total and will serve 70 million passengers by the end of the fourth phase.
• The cargo terminal will have a capacity of 20 lakh MT and can be further expanded to 80 lakh MT. The airport would facilitate “seamless movement of industrial products” and boost regional industrial growth. Claimed as India’s first ‘net zero emissions’ airport, the Union government will also set aside land for a forest.
• Currently, UP has eight operational airports, including Lucknow and Varanasi (PM Modi’s constituency) international airports. Last month, a third international airport was opened at Kushinagar, a Buddhist pilgrimage site. And a fourth one in the temple town of Ayodhya.
• The airport will be an easy access airport for Noida and Greater Noida residents. It would also be an alternative option for New Delhi and Gurgaon residents. People living in cities like Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Meerut, Agra can also access the airport through Jewar.