By Kumar Vikram New Delhi, Sep 4 : The excavation work of the Terminal building of the Noida International airport which is a perfect blend of Indian warmth and hospitality with Swiss efficiency has taken off as the airport is gearing up to start operations by the end of 2024. Talking to the IANS, Christoph Schnellmann, CEO of Yamuna International Airport said, "work of the airport is very much on right course as per plan..Excavation work has started and we are confident that by the end of 2024 delivery of the airport will be completed as per the plan." While talking about the design of the Terminal building, the CEO said that it is a perfect blend of Indian warmth and hospitality with Swiss efficiency. Keeping in mind the Indian culture that encourages meeting and greeting, the terminal has been designed with a big welcoming forecourt for passengers to mingle or large families to walk through. "The courtyard will be comfortable for families to meet and spend time together as they pass through the airport. The white, translucent, wavy roof will create a comforting ambience for the passengers. The design will be an amalgamation of Indian warmth and hospitality with Swiss efficiency," he said. Being a digital airport, NIA will provide a seamless and mostly contactless flow through the airport by means of integrated systems and services, including those provided by technology partners. This will be supported by technologies such as indoor geo-location, identity management, flow management, data mining and IoT. It is also about making these digital technologies secure in the cyber world to ensure that every system works as intended. "The digital environment at NIA will include a paperless and hassle-free biometric journey across all checkpoints and processors in line with Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation's DigiYatra Policy and IATA's ONE ID program," said the CEO. Special focus will be placed on providing a clean and well-maintained infrastructure with a comforting ambience allowing for the airport to become an attraction for users and visitors by providing commercial hubs that are accessible to passengers and non-passengers. When asked about connectivity at the airport, the CEO said that it will be a confluence of air travel, high speed rail, metro, and road transport. The airport masterplan is prepared to accommodate the demand throughout the 40-year concession period. "All the surrounding cities including Delhi, Noida and Greater Noida will be well connected with the airport. We are pleased with the kind of progress in this regard." He informed that the project report about Metro connectivity will soon be concluded. Moreover, connectivity through High speed Rail will also be there. The airport will open with a single runway and a terminal capacity to handle 12 million passengers per year. The airport will be developed on 1334 Ha of land. Up to the end of the concession in 2061, Noida International airport will be developed with two parallel runways and additional terminal capacity to serve 70 million passengers. The masterplan also provides the strategic options for growth beyond the first concession period of 40 years. The NIA will provide air connectivity from Noida, the fastest growing business and commercial hub in India and other important NCR towns including Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad which offer a large market, agglomeration and migrating population. Noida has emerged as the biggest contributor to UP's economy in the last decade and an investment of Rs 18,000 cr is expected in the region over the next three years. The airport will also provide improved access from key cities in western Uttar Pradesh, which contributes about two-third of the state GDP. The airport has been a catalyst for industrial activity in the region, with the coming up of the IT and manufacturing hub, with industrial corridors around Jewar. Enhanced access will accelerate the development of the region. /IANS