Noida International Airport set for first cargo flight

Noida International Airport (NIA) will welcome its first cargo flight on June 17 (Wednesday) from Chennai, operated by Afcom Cargo, marking the airport’s entry into cargo operations just days after launching passenger services on June 15. The inaugural movement will carry domestic e-commerce cargo on a Boeing 737-800 freighter operating the Chennai–Noida–Chennai route and is intended to demonstrate how the airport’s cargo infrastructure, logistics systems and multimodal connectivity will support long-term trade growth across North India.

Positioned as a strategic aviation and logistics gateway for western Uttar Pradesh and the National Capital Region, Noida International Airport has been developed to reduce pressure on Delhi’s aviation network while creating additional cargo and connectivity capacity for the region.

Afcom Cargo is a Chennai-based cargo airline operating three Boeing 737-800 freighters across Asia and the Middle East. The launch flight will function as a live operational test of Noida Airport’s end-to-end cargo ecosystem, including aircraft turnaround, cargo handling, warehousing, digital processing and onward movement through the Yamuna Expressway.

The initiative is backed by a partnership that evolved from an initial AISATS–Afcom Memorandum of Understanding signed in September 2025 into a tripartite agreement involving Noida International Airport in May 2026, with the objective of developing and expanding cargo operations from Jewar.

Afcom also brings recent operational experience into the partnership. During disruptions to Middle East airline operations in Q4 FY2025–26, the airline operated 415 charter flights, including services on routes such as Chennai–Colombo and Colombo–Malé, supporting cargo continuity during periods of market disruption.

On the infrastructure side, Phase 1 of Noida Airport’s cargo development has been delivered by AISATS across nearly 80 acres. AISATS, a 50:50 joint venture between Air India and SATS, has developed dedicated cargo facilities with an initial handling capacity of 200,000 metric tonnes annually, with the ability to scale to 1.5 million tonnes in future phases.

At the centre of the development is the Multimodal Cargo Hub, which integrates an Integrated Cargo Terminal with a Warehousing and Logistics Zone and supports transhipment operations through seamless road-to-air and air-to-road connectivity.

The facility includes 22,000 square metres of warehouse space, two dedicated freighter bays operating round the clock, and integrated domestic, international and express cargo terminals.

Cargo operations are supported by COSYS+, e-Acceptance and cargo community systems, alongside 19 truck docks, 9 X-ray machines and 12 Unit Load Device roller decks, designed to improve speed, visibility and operational efficiency.