As Noida and Delhi air fares become competitive, 8% Delhi NCR air travellers surveyed booked to fly in/out of Noida airport in the next 3 months; Another 15% considering the same

June 12, 2026, New Delhi: Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar is set to begin commercial operations on June 15, 2026, with IndiGo as the launch carrier and inaugural flights to Lucknow, Bengaluru, Amritsar, Hyderabad and Jammu, before scaling to over 16 domestic destinations within weeks. When LocalCircles last polled Delhi NCR air travellers in May 2026, affordability was the central concern: indicative fares from Noida were trending around 25% higher than Delhi for the same routes, and 95% of respondents said they would continue flying from Delhi airport, with only 5% willing to give Noida a try – and that too only out of curiosity. The fare gap, the absence of metro and rapid rail connectivity, and limited carrier competition were the key reasons cited.

In the weeks since, the pricing picture has shifted decisively. As launch approached, airlines moved aggressively to make Noida competitive: IndiGo cut its Lucknow fare from around Rs 4,981 to Rs 3,394, while Akasa Air reduced its Bengaluru fare by roughly Rs 2,000 and announced cuts on Navi Mumbai as well. As a result, airfares from Noida airport are now similar to – and on several routes slightly lower than – those at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, with sectors such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jammu and Amritsar priced at or below Delhi levels. The shift is helped by Uttar Pradesh’s 1% VAT on aviation turbine fuel against Delhi’s 25%, which gives Noida a structural cost advantage that is now being passed on to flyers.

Adding to this momentum, ground connectivity received a significant boost this week. The Noida Authority and the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) have finalised and rolled out a dedicated city-to-airport electric bus network, with services timed to the June 15 commercial launch. In the first phase, around 30 modern double-decker electric buses are being deployed across five high-demand routes, with 10 buses dedicated to the city–Jewar Airport corridor. The flagship route runs from the Sector-90 depot to Noida International Airport via Botanical Garden, using the Noida–Greater Noida Expressway for a swift, direct connection, while other routes link Botanical Garden to Pari Chowk in Greater Noida, Sector-90 to Greater Noida West via Sector-71, and Sector-62 to Sectors 98/96. Crucially, fares have been kept nominal – ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 50, with the full Botanical Garden–Jewar Airport ride costing just Rs 50 – making the airport accessible to a far wider set of NCR travellers. By offering an affordable, reliable last-mile option, this network directly addresses the connectivity concern that travellers had earlier cited as a barrier, and is expected to help convert booking intent into actual footfall at Noida.

Against this backdrop of Noida fares now matching or undercutting Delhi, and improving ground connectivity, LocalCircles conducted a fresh pulse survey of Delhi NCR air travellers to gauge how booking intent has changed. The survey received over 14,000 responses. The results show early movement: 8% of air travellers surveyed have now booked at least one flight in/out of Noida airport in the next 3 months, and another 15% who are yet to book intend to fly in/out of Noida – together a 23% pool of potential Noida flyers, up from the 5% who would even consider it a month ago. At the same time, 46% are scheduled to fly only from Delhi and 31% who are yet to book will stick with Delhi, leaving 77% still anchored to the incumbent airport on proximity and habit.

8% Delhi NCR air travellers surveyed have booked to fly in/out of Noida airport in the next 3 months; another 15% intend to

The survey asked Delhi NCR air travellers, “The new Noida airport will start functioning from June 15, 2026. For your travel in the next 3 months, where are you likely to fly out of/to?” The question received 14,932 responses.

In response, 46% said they are scheduled to fly in/out of Delhi airport for all flights, while 8% said they are scheduled to fly in/out of Delhi airport mostly but with at least one flight in/out of Noida – in effect, an early set of confirmed Noida bookings. Among those yet to book, 31% said they will fly in/out of Delhi airport, while 15% said they will fly in/out of Noida airport. Notably, 0% said they would fly in/out of Noida airport only, and 0% selected “Can’t Say.” On an aggregate basis, 23% of Delhi NCR air travellers surveyed have either booked or intend to fly in/out of Noida airport in the next 3 months – a marked rise from the 5% recorded in May 2026, when fares from Noida were running about 25% higher than Delhi. The shift tracks closely with the recent fare reductions, suggesting that price parity, more than infrastructure, is the lever that moves NCR travellers toward Noida.

Summary

The findings point to a clear inflection. As airlines have narrowed the launch-period fare gap – with IndiGo and Akasa cutting fares on key routes so that Noida fares are now similar to or slightly lower than Delhi – the share of Delhi NCR air travellers open to flying in/out of Noida has risen from 5% in May 2026 to 23% in this survey, with 8% already booked. This validates what travellers had said earlier: that competitive fares, rather than infrastructure alone, are the single biggest driver of whether they will choose Noida. The structural advantage of Uttar Pradesh’s 1% VAT on aviation turbine fuel against Delhi’s 25%, if not neutralised by the higher airport charges proposed for the 2026–31 control period, can help sustain this momentum.

At the same time, 77% of travellers surveyed remain anchored to Delhi airport, driven by proximity and the convenience of an established airport with metro and rapid rail access. Sustaining and growing the early traction at Noida will depend on keeping fares at or below Delhi levels, building non-stop frequencies and carrier competition, and rapidly improving ground connectivity. The newly launched city-to-airport electric bus network is an important first step, and the proposed 72-km Ghaziabad–Noida–Jewar Regional Rapid Transit System (Namo Bharat) corridor and metro extensions to the airport, once operational, will be essential to put Noida on a more even footing with Delhi on the convenience dimension. LocalCircles will share these findings with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, AERA, the Government of Uttar Pradesh, the Government of NCT of Delhi and Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd so that consumer expectations are factored into final tariff determination, ground connectivity planning and the airport’s launch strategy.