Indian villagers give land for Noida's new airport; board their first flight from same soil

India's Noida International Airport has begun its commercial operations today, and guess who boarded the first passenger flight from here - the farmers whose lands were acquired for it!

The first flight, Indigo flight 6e-2278 from Noida at 7.05 am to Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, carried 170 farmers from Uttar Pradesh's Jewar region. The group also included 20 women who had voluntarily given their ancestral land for the project. The flight landed in Lucknow at 8.05 am. PM Modi had inaugurated the airport on March 28. 

"We are very delighted and obliged to travel on the first flight from Noida International Airport to Lucknow. What we envisioned is becoming a reality before us today," Abrar Khan, a passenger, said.

Hera Rashid, a young woman from a nearby village, said it was a historic moment for her. "The flight is free for us, and we will meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow," she said.

A farmer, aged around 65, who was on the flight, said he had given 30 bighas of his land for the airport and was happy to see the development. "We were also promised a job but have yet to get it," he claimed.

Another female passenger said the opportunity to be part of the first flight was a matter of pride for the villagers.

The Noida International Airport is expected to strengthen connectivity and support economic activity in western Uttar Pradesh and the National Capital Region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the airport on November 25, 2021. 

The airport had recently entered into a partnership with the online bus ticketing platform redBus to provide passengers with direct access to intercity bus services from the airport. It is the first collaboration between an airport and a bus mobility platform in India.

The tie-up will enable direct intercity bus connections from NIA to more than 20 destinations across North India, including Agra, Mathura, Lucknow, Dehradun and Chandigarh. Passengers will be able to book bus journeys to and from the airport through the redBus platform and access services, such as digital ticketing, GPS-enabled live tracking and 24/7 customer support.

The airport has also created a dedicated bus staging area for boarding and de-boarding passengers, with on-ground support staff to assist travellers.

'Jewar' has more than 500 search results on Google Trends in the past 20 hours. 
(With PTI inputs)