Noida International Airport in numbers: 1,300 hectares, Rs 10,500 crore

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for Noida International Airport, also known as Jewar Airport.Once it becomes operational, Uttar Pradesh will have five international airports, the highest for any state in India.On Wednesday, Modi tweeted:As per an official press release, the airport at Jewar will help decongest the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in the National Capital. It is strategically located and will serve the people of cities including Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Agra, Faridabad and neighbouring areas, the release added.The airport will also be the country's "first net zero emissions airport".According to the Union Government, the airport will be the logistics gateway of northern India, and with its scale and capacity, the aerodrome will be a 'gamechanger' for Uttar Pradesh.Among other aspects, the airport will be linked to the planned Delhi-Varanasi high speed rail, enabling the journey between Delhi and airport in only 21 minutes, the release said.There will also be a state-of-art MRO (maintenance, repair and overhauling) service. The airport will introduce a swing aircraft stand concept, providing flexibility for airlines to operate an aircraft for both domestic and international flights from the same contact stand, without having to re-position the aircraft.Let's take a look at this airport by the numbers:1,300 hectaresThe area across which the first phase of the Noida International Airport is being constructed, making it Asia’s largest airport.Rs 10,050 croreThe cost of developing the first phase of the airport, which is being done by Zurich International Airport AG.1.2 croreThe passenger capacity per year of the airport once the first phase is completed in 2024.20 lakh metric tonneThe capacity of the cargo terminal, which will be later expanded to 80 lakh metric tonne2.5 lakhThe number of people that attended the foundation stone laying event.5The number of international airports now in Uttar Pradesh, the highest for any state in India. The state previously had two international airports, one in Lucknow and Varanasi. Last month, Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport, and another one will come up in the temple town of Ayodhya in 20221 lakhThe number of people that will be employed — directly or indirectly — owing to the Jewar Airport.This comes as the battle for credit continues with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday claiming that a blueprint of an international airport at Jewar was prepared during the tenure of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati but the UPA government did not allow it to be built and a similar claim also being made by the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.Yadav on Thursday tweeted:With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.