Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the international airport at Jewar, Noida, will be ready for operations by the end of this year.

Scindia also said in Lok Sabha that India is now the fifth-largest aviation market in the world with regard to both domestic and international passengers and by 2030, it will become the third-largest market in the world.

“Uttar Pradesh had six airports. After the Modi government came to power, we have built four more airports in the state and soon, five more airports will be ready. Jewar airport will also be ready for operations by the end of this year. So by the end of this year, UP will have 16 airports,” he said.

The Noida airport, coming up in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district adjoining Delhi is expected to serve 65 lakh passengers (per year) initially, according to an estimate.

This figure is expected to rise to seven crore passengers per year by 2042-43.

Scindia said the country had just 74 airports before 2014 and now the number has gone up to 149.

The number of passengers has also increased manifold — from one crore to 14.5 crore during the pre-Covid era and 15.20 crore in 2023.

The number of domestic passengers in the country will reach 30 crore in a few years, he said.