‘Jewar airport will boost business, employment’

Union civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju on Saturday gave his approval for setting up an international airport in Greater Noida’s Jewar, a move local leaders and entrepreneurs believe will help bring more business, tourism and employment.

Raju, during a press briefing in New Delhi on Saturday, said that “in-principle clearance has been granted” for the airport.

The minister later took to Twitter to declare that “Area notified for Noida Airport is 3,000 hectares; first phase will be developed for 1000 hectares. We expect ₹15,000-20,000 crores of investment. Noida International Airport will cater to 30-50 million passengers per year over the next 10-15 years.”

Expressing happiness over the approval, Member of Parliament from Gautam Budh Nagar and Union minister for tourism and culture Mahesh Sharma said that setting up of an international airport will open doors for development for rural areas.

“Villages adjoining Jewar will finally see development after the airport is set up. Not only will this benefit the industries, it will also generate employment for the youth. Some foreign companies, such as Samsung and LG are going to set up plants in Greater Noida. Other are likely to follow suit. Tourism will flourish in cities such as Mathura and Agra and it will result in overall prosperity,” said Sharma.

Jewar MLA Thakur Dhirendra Singh said the entire country will benefit from Jewar’s new airport.

“The youths in my constituency will get jobs. And all this will be because of concentrated efforts of chief minister Yogi Adityanath” added Singh.

Industrialists and hoteliers of Greater Noida also welcomed Saturday’s announcement.

Vipin Malhan, president of Noida Entreprenuers Association said, “This is a big achievement for Noida and Uttar Pradesh as an international airport will result in frequent travel of importers and exporters. Earlier, foreign clients used to stay in Gurgaon or Delhi hotels and that is why we could never create a business ecosystem. Now, things will change,” he said.

Amarjeet Singh, owner of Rama Hotels and Banquets, said that an international airport will boost the hospitality sector in the district.

“Greater Noida will see a flood of hotels and motels when an airport comes up,” said Singh.