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What is the story about?
A ₹11,000+-crore mega airport built to decongest Delhi’s IGI Airport is opening next month — but most travellers may not want to use it.
That is the key takeaway from a LocalCircles survey which found that a majority of air travellers in the region are unlikely to shift from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) to the upcomingNoida International Airport at Jewar, largely due to concerns around higher fares, longer travel distance and poor connectivity.
The survey, which received over 19,000 responses from travellers across Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad, found that nearly 9 in 10 respondents would still prefer Delhi airport if flights from Noida remain more expensive.
For most travellers, the convenience and accessibility of Delhi airport still outweigh the appeal of a brand-new airport.
When respondents were asked which airport they would prefer if Noida airport fares remained 25% higher than Delhi airport fares for the same destinations, a majority (58%) said they would continue using Delhi airport because of both lower fares and better proximity.
Another 32% said proximity alone was the key reason for preferring Delhi airport, while 5% cited lower fares as the primary factor.
Very few respondents (5%) said they were willing to try Noida airport in 2026, largely out of curiosity to experience the new airport once. Notably, none of the respondents selected Noida airport on the basis of proximity.
The survey also found that travellers may consider shifting only if Noida airport offers fares comparable to or lower than Delhi airport, along with significantly improved ground connectivity.
The Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar is scheduled to begin commercial operations on June 15 with IndiGo as the launch carrier.
Despite being positioned as NCR’s second major airport alongside Delhi airport, the Jewar airport is already facing criticism over significantly higher proposed airport charges and limited metro and rapid rail connectivity.
According to submissions made by IndiGo and Air India to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), the proposed airport charges at Noida are substantially higher than Delhi airport.
Domestic landing charges are reportedly 119% higher than IGIA, while the embarking User Development Fee (UDF) has been proposed at ₹653 per domestic passenger — around 406% higher than Delhi airport.
Airlines have warned that the higher charges could make operations from Noida commercially unattractive and may eventually result in airfares being 20-25% higher than comparable flights operating from Delhi airport.
LocalCircles also flagged the lack of metro and rapid rail connectivity to the airport as a major concern, saying longer travel times and higher ground transport costs further reduce its appeal for NCR residents.
“IndiGo estimates this will add roughly ₹103 crore per annum in airport charges versus Delhi, and has warned that without parity, operations from Noida could become commercially unattractive,” the report said.
The concerns have also triggered political attention. Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 8 seeking a review of the proposed UDF and passenger charges.
In the letter, Singh cited early IndiGo booking data showing fares on the Lucknow-Noida route at around ₹5,072, compared with ₹3,600-4,300 for Lucknow-Delhi flights.
The report added that while the Uttar Pradesh government had reduced VAT on aviation turbine fuel to 1% to make operations cheaper at Noida airport, the benefit risked being offset by the proposed airport charges.
At present, IndiGo remains the only confirmed launch carrier for the airport, which is expected to initially handle 1.2 crore passengers annually.
Initial flights will connect the airport to Lucknow, Bengaluru, Amritsar, Hyderabad and Jammu, with plans to expand to more than 16 domestic destinations within weeks.
That is the key takeaway from a LocalCircles survey which found that a majority of air travellers in the region are unlikely to shift from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) to the upcomingNoida International Airport at Jewar, largely due to concerns around higher fares, longer travel distance and poor connectivity.
The survey, which received over 19,000 responses from travellers across Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad, found that nearly 9 in 10 respondents would still prefer Delhi airport if flights from Noida remain more expensive.
For most travellers, the convenience and accessibility of Delhi airport still outweigh the appeal of a brand-new airport.
When respondents were asked which airport they would prefer if Noida airport fares remained 25% higher than Delhi airport fares for the same destinations, a majority (58%) said they would continue using Delhi airport because of both lower fares and better proximity.
Another 32% said proximity alone was the key reason for preferring Delhi airport, while 5% cited lower fares as the primary factor.
Very few respondents (5%) said they were willing to try Noida airport in 2026, largely out of curiosity to experience the new airport once. Notably, none of the respondents selected Noida airport on the basis of proximity.
The survey also found that travellers may consider shifting only if Noida airport offers fares comparable to or lower than Delhi airport, along with significantly improved ground connectivity.
The Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar is scheduled to begin commercial operations on June 15 with IndiGo as the launch carrier.
Despite being positioned as NCR’s second major airport alongside Delhi airport, the Jewar airport is already facing criticism over significantly higher proposed airport charges and limited metro and rapid rail connectivity.
According to submissions made by IndiGo and Air India to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), the proposed airport charges at Noida are substantially higher than Delhi airport.
Domestic landing charges are reportedly 119% higher than IGIA, while the embarking User Development Fee (UDF) has been proposed at ₹653 per domestic passenger — around 406% higher than Delhi airport.
Airlines have warned that the higher charges could make operations from Noida commercially unattractive and may eventually result in airfares being 20-25% higher than comparable flights operating from Delhi airport.
LocalCircles also flagged the lack of metro and rapid rail connectivity to the airport as a major concern, saying longer travel times and higher ground transport costs further reduce its appeal for NCR residents.
“IndiGo estimates this will add roughly ₹103 crore per annum in airport charges versus Delhi, and has warned that without parity, operations from Noida could become commercially unattractive,” the report said.
The concerns have also triggered political attention. Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 8 seeking a review of the proposed UDF and passenger charges.
In the letter, Singh cited early IndiGo booking data showing fares on the Lucknow-Noida route at around ₹5,072, compared with ₹3,600-4,300 for Lucknow-Delhi flights.
The report added that while the Uttar Pradesh government had reduced VAT on aviation turbine fuel to 1% to make operations cheaper at Noida airport, the benefit risked being offset by the proposed airport charges.
At present, IndiGo remains the only confirmed launch carrier for the airport, which is expected to initially handle 1.2 crore passengers annually.
Initial flights will connect the airport to Lucknow, Bengaluru, Amritsar, Hyderabad and Jammu, with plans to expand to more than 16 domestic destinations within weeks.
