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Cabinet clears ₹3,631 cr elevated link to connect Jewar Airport with Delhi–Mumbai Expressway

March 10, 2026 5 min read Economics Geography GS Paper 1 (Geography) GS Paper 3 (Infrastructure)
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What Happened

  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a revised total capital cost of Rs 3,630.77 crore for a greenfield elevated road corridor connecting Jewar International Airport (Noida International Airport) to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Spur (Delhi-Faridabad-Ballabhgarh-Sohna Spur).
  • The 31.42 km greenfield corridor will provide direct high-speed road connectivity from South Delhi, Faridabad (Haryana), and Gurugram to Jewar Airport in Uttar Pradesh.
  • Approximately 11 km of the corridor is elevated highway — the portion connecting the DND-Ballabhgarh bypass to the Jewar Airport link via the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway — at an additional cost of Rs 689.24 crore; the Haryana government agreed to contribute Rs 450 crore toward this.
  • The project follows a Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) of procurement and spans two states — Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
  • The corridor intersects the Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Yamuna Expressway, and the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), creating a multimodal transport convergence point.
  • This project is separate from DMRC's proposed metro rail link between Jewar Airport and Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

Static Topic Bridges

Noida International Airport (Jewar) — Project Overview

Jewar International Airport, officially named Noida International Airport (NMIA), is a greenfield airport under development in Jewar, Gautam Buddh Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh. It is being developed by Zurich Airport International AG (concessionaire) and is one of the largest greenfield airport projects in India. NMIA is intended to serve as the second airport for the Delhi-NCR region, relieving pressure on IGI Airport (which handles over 70 million passengers per year). Phase 1 capacity: ~12 million passengers per annum (MPPA); eventual capacity: ~70 MPPA across 4 phases. NMIA sits within the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) region, within the larger Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor influence zone.

  • Jewar Airport location: Jewar, Gautam Buddh Nagar, UP — approximately 72 km from Connaught Place, Delhi.
  • Concessionaire: Zurich Airport International AG (selected 2021).
  • Phase 1 investment: ~Rs 10,053 crore; Phase 1 target: 2025 (delayed to 2026–27).
  • Phase 1 capacity: 12 MPPA (Million Passengers Per Annum).
  • The airport is adjacent to the Yamuna Expressway, a key arterial highway connecting Delhi to Agra.
  • IGI Airport handles ~72–75 million passengers/year; second airport is critical for Delhi-NCR's aviation capacity.

Connection to this news: The Rs 3,631 crore corridor is the road access spine for NMIA; without high-speed connectivity from Faridabad, South Delhi, and Gurugram, the airport's catchment area remains constrained.

Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) — Public-Private Partnership in Infrastructure

India's road infrastructure is largely built through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models. HAM, introduced in 2016 by NITI Aayog as a hybrid between EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) and BOT-Toll (Build-Operate-Transfer) models, has become the preferred mode for projects where traffic volumes are uncertain. Under HAM, the government pays 40% of the project cost as construction support (annuities) during the construction phase, while the private developer raises 60% as debt/equity. Upon completion, the government makes semi-annual annuity payments to the developer over 15 years, irrespective of toll collection — removing traffic risk from the private party.

  • HAM introduced: 2016 (Budget announcement); operationalised under NHAI.
  • Government payment: 40% during construction (as construction support); 60% via 15-year annuity post-completion.
  • Risk allocation: Government bears traffic/revenue risk; private party bears construction and O&M risk.
  • EPC model: Government bears all risk (contractor gets lump-sum payment); used for non-viable projects.
  • BOT-Toll model: Private party bears full traffic risk (tolls are revenue); used for high-traffic highways.
  • HAM preferred: For greenfield corridors with uncertain initial traffic — airport access roads are a good fit.
  • NHAI (National Highways Authority of India): Primary executing agency for national highway projects.

Connection to this news: The Jewar airport corridor uses HAM — given that traffic volumes will ramp up gradually as the airport becomes operational, HAM removes the risk of low initial traffic from the developer.

Multimodal Connectivity and DMIC/NIP Context

India's National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), launched in December 2019, envisages Rs 111 lakh crore of infrastructure investment across 2020–2025 (later extended). Transport infrastructure — roads, railways, airports, ports — accounts for the largest share. The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and the larger National Industrial Corridor Programme (NICP) create integrated industrial zones along economic corridors. The Jewar airport corridor strengthens this by: (1) linking NMIA to the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway (a key DMIC artery); (2) intersecting the Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC/WDFC), enabling cargo-to-air transfers; (3) connecting NCR's manufacturing hinterlands (Faridabad, Noida, Greater Noida) to a new aviation hub.

  • National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP): Rs 111 lakh crore investment plan (2020–2025, extended).
  • PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (launched Oct 2021): Digital platform for integrated infrastructure planning — maps all infrastructure projects on a common GIS layer.
  • Dedicated Freight Corridor: Two corridors — Eastern DFC (Ludhiana-Kolkata, 1,875 km) and Western DFC (Dadri-JNPT, 1,506 km). Eastern DFC runs near Jewar/Dadri.
  • DMIC: Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor — spans 6 states; over 8 lakh crore investment planned.
  • EDFC (Eastern DFC) intersection with Jewar corridor: Enables multimodal logistics — truck to train to plane for cargo.
  • Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA): Developing ~20,000 ha around Jewar airport as an industrial and urban zone.

Connection to this news: The elevated corridor is a building block of PM GatiShakti's integrated infrastructure vision — it links a greenfield airport into existing expressway, freight, and urban road networks, unlocking the airport's economic hinterland.

Key Facts & Data

  • Project cost approved: Rs 3,630.77 crore (CCEA, March 10, 2026).
  • Corridor length: 31.42 km (total); ~11 km elevated section.
  • Elevated section cost: Rs 689.24 crore; Haryana contribution: Rs 450 crore.
  • Project model: Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM).
  • Project states: Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
  • Route: Connects Jewar Airport (UP) to Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Spur via Faridabad-Ballabhgarh-Sohna bypass.
  • Intersections: Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Yamuna Expressway, Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC).
  • Jewar Airport Phase 1 capacity: 12 MPPA; eventual capacity: ~70 MPPA.
  • Concessionaire for NMIA: Zurich Airport International AG.
  • Related DMRC proposal (separate): Metro rail link connecting Jewar Airport to IGI Airport — under planning/bidding stage.