Noida and its surroundings could get transformed once the new airport at Jewar takes wings. The airport — the site for which the ministry of civil aviation on Friday has given its nod to — is likely to be a game-changer, say stakeholders. The international airport will be nearly 70km from central Noida , but is likely to provide infrastructure boost to the region.

The various people TOI spoke to underlined how badly the region needs a big push, and all agreed that the airport would address that. "The airport will be a growth driver not only for NCR but also western UP. It will give a boost to tourism, manufacturing, export sector and much more," said Arunvir Singh, chief executive officer, Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority.

It is likely to become a booming aerotropolis with multi-modal logistics, industrial, commercial and tourism facilities in close vicinity," he said. "Given its vast catchment area, it is expected to be well-connected with all major national and international destinations. In the years to come, it could become a hub airport for one of India's major airlines," he said.

We are working in close collaboration with the Union government and will immediately begin its development," he said. "The state government is interested in connecting Allahabad, Varanasi, Lucknow and Gorakhpur with Jewar under the UDAN scheme besides boosting major tourist destinations of Mathura, Vrindavan and Agra," he added.

To augment the airport project, YEIDA has also revived the high-speed Metro link project between Greater Noida and proposed airport at Jewar, Singh added. The corridor was first proposed in February 2014 and again in June 2015 by the YEIDA board. In June 2016, DMRC had told YEIDA that it was too early to prepare a Techno Economical Feasibility Report (TEFR) for the proposed corridor and suggested it be done after five years. The proposed line is expected to not only provide a fast link between the two townships of Greater Noida and YEIDA but also bring these places closer to the national capital by boosting connectivity.

We have asked DMRC to study a feasibility plan to put the Metro on track up to Jewar. The proposed 35-km Metro track will be aligned at road level along the Yamuna Expressway. It will link the zero point of the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida to YEIDA's proposed Jewar airport. This track will also be linked to the under-construction 29.7km Metro corridor connecting Noida and Greater Noida, he said.

The state government, which has been pushing for this project, has also been told by the Centre to improve road conditions and provide multi-modal transport facilities.

Apoorva Singh, a software engineer from Noida said the people living in cities of western UP and some towns of Rajasthan have to travel to Delhi — a journey of at least two hours — if they plan an air travel. An airport in Jewar will be a great help for these people, she said.

Since the new airport will provide seamless domestic and international connectivity, it will be good for air passengers, said Sunny Bansal, an entrepreneur. Despite Jewar being a part of NCR, it has yet to see full-scale development. With the airport, things are likely to change for the better, said Jitender Kumar, a realtor.