Imagine flying out of Hindon Airport in Ghaziabad, around 25-30 kms from central Delhi, to Bengaluru or Kolkata to avoid the long commute to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. Now imagine having to make that journey to Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar, around 70-80 kms from central Delhi, instead, as the flights you relied on are reduced or withdrawn.

That is the emerging challenge for passengers across Ghaziabad, eastern Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh. Hindon’s monthly passenger traffic fell from 89,073 in February 2026 to 25,886 in August, even as NIA began commercial operations and IndiGo expanded its network there.

The contrasting trends raise a larger question for Uttar Pradesh’s aviation strategy. Is NIA generating new connectivity for the region, or are airlines also shifting capacity away from existing airports?

There is no public confirmation that flights withdrawn from Hindon have been transferred to NIA, but the decline puts the spotlight on the commercial and infrastructure constraints facing the Ghaziabad airport.

What About Hindon?

Hindon, which had emerged as an alternative for passengers in Ghaziabad, western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Delhi, has seen services withdrawn by Air India Express and reduced by IndiGo.

The airport’s flight movements have fallen from their peak in 2025, when airlines expanded operations and daily passenger traffic reached nearly 6,000 during the busiest months, according to a senior Hindon airport official.

“Hindon had a strong local market and demand from Ghaziabad, western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Delhi. We conducted an informal survey, and it suggested that many passengers would prefer to fly from Hindon if suitable services were available,” an airport official told The Core, on condition of anonymity.

At NIA, meanwhile, IndiGo is operating 15 daily flights and has added a Noida-Udaipur service to its winter schedule from October 25, 2026, expanding its presence at the new airport.

The diverging trends have put the spotlight on whether airlines are increasingly choosing NIA over Hindon, and whether Uttar Pradesh’s efforts to establish its new aviation hub are influencing where airlines deploy their aircraft.

The two airports have different operating models, however, and there is no public confirmation that specific flights withdrawn from Hindon have been directly transferred to NIA.

Air India Express’s decision to discontinue operations from Hindon Airport was driven by infrastructure limitations, aircraft availability, pilot/crew constraints, and broader network optimisation strategies ahead of the launch of Noida International Airport.

NIA officially began commercial operations on June 15, following its inauguration on March 28.

According to NIA, the airport’s current capacity is of 12 million passengers per year in Phase I, which is expected to scale up to 30 million passengers per year in Phase II while Hindon airport has a capacity of handling about 300 passengers per hour, according to Airport Authority of India.

Hindon’s Flight Numbers Fall

Air India Express began operating from Hindon on March 1, 2025, and discontinued its services on March 30, 2026. IndiGo, which began operations at the airport in July 2025, has also reduced its services.

The withdrawal of Air India Express was particularly significant because the airline had helped drive passenger numbers higher after entering the airport.

According to Hindon airport officials, the airport’s daily passenger traffic rose from around 2,000 to 4,000 and then nearly 6,000 as services expanded through 2025.

The decline has been rapid. Hindon recorded its highest-ever monthly aircraft movements in August 2025, with 1,168 movements.

Passenger traffic subsequently dropped from 89,073 in February 2026 to 44,326 in April, while aircraft movements also declined.

A senior Hindon airport official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Air India Express had formally cited operational reasons for withdrawing its services. IndiGo, too, reduced flights, although the official said the airline had not provided a specific reason for the reduction.

According to a source, Hindon’s operations are constrained with limited timing as it is a civil and a reference airport. Limited parking infrastructure was also a challenge. The airport has only two aircraft parking bays, meaning that if an airline already has two aircraft parked there, another airline may not be able to park its aircraft.

In such cases, the grounded aircraft may occupy a parking bay, leaving limited room for other airlines. According to the source, this has forced Air India Express (AIX) to move its aircraft to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI).

“Airlines have their own business models. We want all the airlines to come here,” the official said.

The official also mentioned that Hindon’s current schedule had around 12 daily flight movements, including arrivals and departures, compared with approximately 15-16 earlier in the year.

Hindon's proposed winter schedule has fallen to six flight services connecting six cities. The winter schedule runs from the last week of October 2026 until mid-April 2027.

Hindon’s experience highlights how quickly the fortunes of a regional airport can change when airlines alter their networks.

Air India Express withdrew services to destinations including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Goa, Chennai, Patna and Bhubaneswar, while IndiGo discontinued routes such as Ahmedabad, Indore and Patna. Regional carriers FlyBig and Star Air also dropped services to destinations including Bathinda, Ludhiana, Kishangarh and Mundra. IndiGo has further reduced frequencies on the Hindon–Navi Mumbai, Kolkata and Varanasi routes, while its Chennai service was also cut.

In 2025, the entry of Air India Express and IndiGo helped increase passenger numbers and expand the airport’s route network. Within roughly a year, Air India Express had exited, and IndiGo had reduced services, leaving Hindon with fewer connections despite the demand it had demonstrated during its peak period.

NIA’s arrival adds another layer of competition. IndiGo is expanding its network at the new airport, including the Noida-Udaipur service in the winter schedule, while NIA’s infrastructure gives it more room to accommodate future growth.

For Hindon, the immediate challenge is to retain existing services and attract new airlines before further reductions undermine its role as a regional airport.

“We hope to attract more flights in the next summer schedule, and in the meantime we are working on our infrastructure expansion too,” the airport official said.

Infrastructure Is The Dividing Line

Hindon’s biggest disadvantage is its operating environment. The airport functions as a civil enclave at an Indian Air Force airbase, with commercial operations constrained by defence requirements.

It has only two aircraft parking bays for commercial operations and does not permit flights after sunset. Both restrictions can complicate airline scheduling.

If an aircraft is delayed, the limited parking space can affect subsequent arrivals. The absence of night operations also restricts the number of daily rotations an airline can schedule and reduces flexibility when disruptions occur.

NIA, by contrast, has been designed for all-weather, round-the-clock operations. Its first phase includes a 3,900-metre runway, and parking stands for 24 Code C aircraft and two Code D/F aircraft, giving airlines greater scope to schedule services and expand their networks.

These differences are commercially relevant. Airlines need to maximise aircraft utilisation, and an airport that allows more flexible scheduling can make it easier to plan departures, arrivals and connections.

Hindon is seeking to address some of its constraints. The Airports Authority of India has been pursuing additional land to expand aircraft parking from two bays to six, while terminal expansion and improvements to passenger facilities are also planned.

The Hindon official said the airport was working towards expanding its infrastructure, including the possibility of a dedicated terminal and improved airside facilities. However, progress depends partly on land availability and coordination with the Air Force and other authorities.

Cargo Adds Another Dimension

The absence of cargo operations at Hindon could further limit its appeal to airlines and logistics operators as NIA develops.

Hindon currently does not have cargo facilities, according to the airport official. NIA has been planned as a passenger and cargo hub, with dedicated cargo infrastructure and a multi-modal logistics vision.

The airport’s first phase includes infrastructure to support cargo operations alongside passenger services, while its longer-term development plans envisage a larger cargo ecosystem connecting air freight with road and other transport networks.

For freight operators, dedicated cargo facilities can make a material difference. Warehousing, cargo screening, truck access and aircraft parking allow shipments to move through an airport without relying entirely on passenger-terminal infrastructure.

Hindon’s lack of cargo operations means it cannot currently offer the same proposition to operators looking to combine passenger and freight opportunities. NIA, on the other hand, has the potential to attract cargo business as its airline network and logistics infrastructure develop.

Is Uttar Pradesh Pushing The Shift?

The emergence of NIA has raised a larger question for the state’s aviation strategy: whether the emphasis on building a major international airport is changing how airlines view smaller regional airports in Uttar Pradesh.

NIA has been developed with the support of the Uttar Pradesh and central governments. Its first phase is designed to handle 12 million passengers annually, with plans to expand capacity to more than 70 million passengers a year as subsequent phases are developed.

For the state, the airport is intended to strengthen connectivity, attract investment and support the manufacturing and logistics industries around the Yamuna Expressway region.

The government’s investment in NIA also creates an incentive to attract airlines, passengers and cargo operators to the new facility. The question is whether that push is resulting in a redistribution of services from existing airports, including Hindon, rather than only generating new demand.

The Hindon official said airlines decide where to operate and that the airport wants to attract more carriers.

For airlines, the decision will likely depend on a combination of demand, operating costs, aircraft utilisation, infrastructure, and access to passengers. NIA’s ability to accommodate flights throughout the day gives it an advantage, while Hindon’s location closer to parts of Delhi and Ghaziabad remains a potential draw.