A LocalCircles survey reveals that most air travelers in the area are hesitant to switch from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) to the new Noida International Airport at Jewar, primarily due to worries about increased fares, longer travel distances, and inadequate connectivity.
The survey garnered over 19,000 responses from travelers across Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad, showing that nearly 90% would still choose Delhi airport if Noida’s flight prices were higher.
For many travelers, the ease of access to Delhi airport remains more attractive than the prospect of a new facility.
When asked about their airport preference if Noida fares were 25% pricier than those from Delhi for the same routes, 58% of respondents indicated they would stick with Delhi airport, valuing both lower costs and closer proximity.
Another 32% highlighted proximity as their main reason for favoring Delhi airport, while 5% mentioned lower fares as the key factor.
Only a small fraction of respondents (5%) expressed interest in trying the Noida airport in 2026, primarily out of curiosity to experience the new facility. Notably, no respondents selected Noida based on its proximity.
The survey further indicated that travelers might consider transitioning only if Noida airport provided fares that were similar to or lower than Delhi’s, accompanied by significantly improved ground connectivity.
Commercial operations at Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar are slated to begin on June 15, with IndiGo serving as the inaugural carrier.
Even though it’s marketed as NCR’s second major airport beside Delhi’s, Jewar airport is already receiving backlash for its significantly higher proposed airport charges and limited metro and rapid rail connections.
Submissions from IndiGo and Air India to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) reveal that Noida’s proposed charges are considerably higher than those at Delhi airport.
Domestic landing fees are reported to be 119% higher than those at IGIA, while the proposed User Development Fee (UDF) stands at ₹653 per domestic passenger—approximately 406% more than at Delhi airport.
Airlines have cautioned that these elevated charges could render operations from Noida economically unfeasible, potentially leading to airfares that are 20-25% greater than those for comparable flights from Delhi.
LocalCircles also raised concerns about the lack of metro and rapid rail access to the airport, noting that longer travel times and increased ground transport expenses further detract from its appeal for NCR residents.
“IndiGo estimates that this will lead to an additional ₹103 crore annually in airport charges compared to Delhi, warning that without price parity, operations from Noida could become financially unviable,” stated the report.
These issues have also caught political attention, with Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh contacting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 8 to urge a review of the suggested UDF and passenger charges.
In his letter, Singh referenced early IndiGo booking data, which showed fares on the Lucknow-Noida route around ₹5,072, in contrast to ₹3,600-4,300 for Lucknow-Delhi flights.
The report added that while the Uttar Pradesh government had lowered VAT on aviation turbine fuel to 1% to make operations cheaper at Noida airport, this benefit could be diminished by the proposed airport charges.
Currently, IndiGo is the only confirmed launch carrier for the airport, which is expected to manage an initial capacity of 1.2 crore passengers annually.
Initial routes will connect the airport to Lucknow, Bengaluru, Amritsar, Hyderabad, and Jammu, with plans to expand to over 16 domestic destinations shortly thereafter.
