Noida: UP govt has earmarked Rs 750 crore for the Noida International Airport in its Budget for the 2026-27 financial year, with most of the allocation directed towards land acquisition for the project’s expansion.Of the total, Rs 700 crore has been allocated for land acquisition for the third and fourth phases, which will see the expansion of a proposed aviation hub and add more runways, while Rs 50 crore has been set aside for construction work.While there was no official announcement on the airport’s inauguration, chief minister Yogi Adityanath earlier said the project was nearing completion and was expected to be inaugurated this year. Land acquisition for the airport project by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited has been carried out in stages, with 1,334 hectares acquired in the first phase at Rs 4,588 crore. Construction of the terminal, designed to handle 12 million passengers a year, and the runway is complete, and the airport is currently awaiting an aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to begin commercial operations.For the second phase, covering 1,365 hectares, land acquisition and disbursement of compensation to farmers have already been completed. Additional infrastructure, including a second runway, a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, and allied aviation operations are to come up on the land acquired under this phase.In the third and fourth phases, a combined 2,053 hectares is required. Of this, 1,889 hectares are to be acquired from farmers across 14 villages, while the remaining land is already with the administration. Following the announcement of compensation at Rs 4,300 per square metre, officials said farmers have expressed willingness to part with their land. These phases will allow for further expansion of the airport, including additional runways, taking the total number planned at full build-out to five. By the completion of the fourth phase, the projected passenger handling capacity is expected to rise to 70 million passengers per year.State finance minister Suresh Khanna, who presented a Rs 43,565-crore Budget for the new financial year on Wednesday, allocated a total of Rs 2,111 crore for the civil aviation department in 2026-27. Of this, Rs 1,965 crore was earmarked under the capital outlay head for airport infrastructure and related civil aviation projects. Khanna said the govt aimed to develop Noida airport not only as a major passenger hub but also as a centre for aviation innovation and research, alongside a maintenance and operations base. Once operational, the airport is expected to complement Delhi’s existing aviation infrastructure and cater to growing passenger and cargo demand across NCR and neighbouring areas.
