India’s largest airline IndiGo will become the launch carrier at Noida International Airport (NIA), with commercial operations set to begin from June 15, 2026, marking a major milestone for the greenfield airport project coming up in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh.

The airline said it will initially connect the airport to more than 16 domestic destinations in a phased rollout, spanning major metro markets such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad as well as several tier-II and tier-III cities including Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamshala, Jaipur, Lucknow, Pantnagar and Srinagar.

The development positions Noida International Airport as the third operational airport in the National Capital Region (NCR), alongside Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and Hindon Airport in Ghaziabad. For IndiGo, the move further deepens its dominance in the country’s aviation network at a time when air travel demand continues to expand rapidly across India’s urban and regional markets.

Multi-airport strategy gains momentum

IndiGo said bookings for flights from Noida International Airport are being progressively opened through its website, app and travel partners. The airline will commence operations with special inaugural services linking Lucknow, Bengaluru and Noida on June 15, before scaling up scheduled daily operations to Hyderabad, Amritsar and Jammu from the following day.

From July 1, the carrier plans to significantly expand the network with flights to destinations such as Srinagar, Navi Mumbai, Bhopal, Dehradun, Bareilly, Kishangarh, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Pantnagar, among others.

Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer at IndiGo, said the airline’s entry into Noida International Airport reflects the evolution of large Indian metropolitan regions into multi-airport systems capable of handling growing passenger traffic.

The airport, strategically located along the Yamuna Expressway, is expected to emerge as a key aviation gateway for western Uttar Pradesh and the broader NCR region. Industry observers believe the airport could ease congestion at Delhi’s IGI Airport while improving access for travellers from adjoining districts and industrial hubs.

Focus on regional connectivity

Noida International Airport is among India’s largest greenfield airport projects and has been designed around integrated multimodal connectivity, supported by planned road and rail infrastructure. The project is expected to enhance passenger movement across NCR and support the government’s broader aviation expansion agenda.

IndiGo’s aggressive network expansion at the airport also underlines the growing importance of regional air travel in India. Several of the newly announced routes target underserved and emerging aviation markets, reflecting strong demand from smaller cities and leisure destinations.

The airline currently operates a fleet of more than 400 aircraft and runs over 2,200 daily flights connecting over 95 domestic and 40 international destinations. IndiGo said it carried 124 million passengers in calendar year 2025.