Noida International Airport at Jewar is likely to be operational soon as most of the drainage issues impeding the construction work have been resolved. The greenfield airport in the Delhi-NCR region, entailing a capital cost of ₹29,500 crore, is running about a year behind schedule, as it was supposed to be operational by September last year.

An official close to the development told Fortune India that the delay was caused by some drainage issues that came up and needed to be addressed. “The site suffered from water absorption, waterlogging, and drainage issues. This impacted the construction and caused inundation in nearby villages. Inter-departmental teams have now addressed all the challenges, and the issue is resolved. The airport is likely to be operational very soon,” said the official, without sharing the exact date but reiterating that it will happen very soon.

Diversion of a pathway canal for the construction of the airport led to water absorption at the site and flooding of the nearby villages, another official pointed out. Excess water absorption at airports can lead to serious issues like blistering (bubbling up of the surface) and bleeding or resurfacing of asphalt.

It may be noted that the Uttar Pradesh government has directed all agencies to accelerate the completion of the project. Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh reviewed the progress of the ongoing construction at Noida International Airport last month.

The UP government signed a concession agreement with Zurich Airport International AG to develop a greenfield airport in October 2020. The concessionaire formed a 100% subsidiary, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), which selected Tata Projects as the EPC contractor.

The airport will be constructed in phases. In Phase one, a 12 million passengers per annum capacity has been envisaged till 2027, at a project cost of ₹4,588 crore. Phase two of the development will see a capacity of 30 million passengers annually and will come up at an investment of ₹5,983 crore. The timeline for Phase Two operations is till FY32. In Phase Three, the airport will be upgraded to handle a capacity of 50 million at an investment of ₹8,415 crore till FY37. The fourth and final stage will see a passenger handling capacity of 70 million between FY40 and FY50, with an investment of ₹10,575 crore.

In the initial phase, the airport will have 28 aircraft stands, which will increase to 200 in the fourth phase, while the size of the passenger terminal building will grow from 1,38,000 square metres in the first phase to five lakh square metres. The phases will be initiated as demand rises.