As Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar opens its doors to commercial flights and ushers the National Capital Region (NCR) into the era of dual airports, the region’s first attempt at creating an alternative aviation hub is quietly losing ground. An RTI response accessed by India Today reveals that Hindon Airport, launched with much fanfare under the Centre’s UDAN scheme, has lost at least 16 routes as airlines steadily scale back operations.
In March 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the civilian terminal at the Indian Air Force’s Hindon airbase under the Centre’s flagship UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme. Located in Ghaziabad, Hindon was envisioned as a low-cost airport aimed at improving regional connectivity and easing the burden on Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
More than seven years later, however, the airport is grappling with shrinking connectivity and a steady decline in traffic.
Information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act shows that at least 16 routes have been discontinued from Hindon. Air India Express and IndiGo have withdrawn services to several cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Kolkata, Patna, Jaipur, Varanasi, Ahmedabad and Indore.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) attributed most of the route suspensions to “operational reasons”, while Air India Express’s Mumbai and Bengaluru services ended following a “cessation of operations”.
TRAFFIC DROPS AFTER PEAK IN 2025
The retreat of airlines is reflected in the airport’s traffic figures. Hindon recorded its highest-ever traffic in August 2025, with 1,168 aircraft movements. By October that year, more than 40 flights were operating daily to and from 16 cities after carriers such as Air India Express and IndiGo expanded their presence at the airport.
Since then, traffic has fallen sharply. AAI data shows domestic aircraft movements declined from 638 in February 2026 to 614 in March and further to 404 in April. Passenger traffic also dropped significantly, from 89,073 in February to 79,161 in March and then nearly halved to 44,326 in April.
AAI also confirmed that Air India Express discontinued operations from Hindon due to operational reasons. However, it declined to share correspondence exchanged with the airline regarding the closure of services, citing exemptions under Section 8(1) of the RTI Act.
AAI PLANS TERMINAL EXPANSION, PUSH FOR NEW ROUTES
The RTI response also sheds light on efforts underway to arrest the decline in connectivity.
AAI said expansion of the terminal building towards the city side is currently in progress to enhance passenger facilities and meet future requirements. The airport operator further stated that discussions are underway with the Central government, state governments and other stakeholders to restore connectivity and attract new airlines and routes to Hindon.
The revival push comes as Jewar’s Noida International Airport begins commercial operations, intensifying competition for passengers and airlines in the NCR aviation market.
– Ends
Published By:
Priyanka Kumari
Published On:
Jun 17, 2026 12:41 IST
