Uttar Pradesh is once again poised to take a monumental leap forward on the country’s development map. With the inauguration of the Noida International Airport in Jewar, the state is on track to set a new record. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate this airport on March 28.
The date March 28, 2026, is set to be etched in golden letters in the history of Uttar Pradesh’s developmental journey. With the inauguration of the Noida International Airport by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh will establish a milestone that no other state in the country has yet managed to achieve. Upon the commencement of operations at this airport, Uttar Pradesh will surpass the nation’s most progressive states—Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala—to become India’s first and only state to possess the highest number of international airports. Let us explore the true magnitude of this achievement for Uttar Pradesh.
The Country’s Only State to Host 5 International Airports
Currently, Uttar Pradesh is home to four international airports, all of which are already providing services on a global scale. Following the inauguration of the Jewar Airport, this number will rise to five. The international airports currently operational in Uttar Pradesh are:
Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (Varanasi)
Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (Lucknow)
Kushinagar International Airport (Kushinagar)
Maharishi Valmiki International Airport (Ayodhya)
The Changing Landscape of UP Since 2017
According to information obtained through an RTI query, only four airports were operational in Uttar Pradesh as of 2017. However, the field of civil aviation has witnessed a revolutionary transformation over the past few years. Today, flights are operating from 16 airports across the state, while three others remain under construction. These include the Myorpur Airport in Sonbhadra and the Lalitpur Airport.
A Massive Five-fold Increase in Budget Allocation
To bolster air connectivity, the Uttar Pradesh government has opened its coffers. According to official figures, the budget allocated to the Directorate of Civil Aviation has surged by more than five times between the years 2017–18 and 2025–26. This is precisely why UP is poised to emerge as the nation’s leader in terms of air connectivity today.
Elevating Global Prestige
The state government and the BJP organization have made grand preparations for the inauguration of the Jewar Airport. It is being asserted that the public rally scheduled to coincide with the inauguration ceremony will be the largest and most historic gathering of its kind to date. The commissioning of this airport will not only give a significant boost to tourism but will also generate millions of new opportunities for investment and employment in Western Uttar Pradesh.
