Noida to seek suggestions from NIAL on heliport project
The proposed heliport in Noida will facilitate travel to the Char Dham pilgrimage sites and other religious destinations within a 500km range of Noida
The Noida authority on Monday said it will seek suggestions from the Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), the government agency overseeing the work on the Noida international greenfield airport in Jewar, before it begins work on the heliport project proposed in Sector 151A, officials in the know of the matter said on Monday.
The move comes after the Uttar Pradesh government directed the Noida authority to consult with NIAL on the project. The proposed heliport in Noida will facilitate travel to the Char Dham pilgrimage sites and other religious destinations within a 500km range of Noida.
“We will issue a tender to select the company for the construction of the heliport on the basis of suggestions given by NIAL. According to the state government directive, we will engage NIAL, seek their suggestions and then move ahead with the heliport project,” said Lokesh M, chief executive officer, Noida authority.
The authority has started the process of establishing communication with the NIAL, said officials.
“They not only have the expertise but also the experience in this sector since the past many years. We will try to understand why our tenders have failed to attract companies and where we need to make changes. Their recommendations will adopted and then a fresh tender issued to pick the company that will construct the heliport,” said Lokesh M.
The authority decided to revive its ambitious heliport project in Sector 151A, which was earlier shelved after several rounds of global bidding in 2022 and 2023 failed to find any takers.
The authority plans to float a global tender for the project next to the international golf course a third time this year with some modifications to attract bidders. In the previous two bidding rounds, only one company had shown an interest in taking up the project.
The heliport is proposed to come up on 9.3 acres in Sector 151A. As the heliport site is located adjacent to the under-construction golf course, it will also facilitate the movement of VIPs, executives, heads of companies, and foreign delegates, said officials.
NIAL said it is ready to work with Noida authority on this project.
“We will help in whatever the Noida authority needs our help with in the development of the heliport project,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer, NIAL.
The development of the heliport is also intended to support tourism, medical, security, and emergency services in Noida and Greater Noida. Helicopters like Bell 412 (12 seaters) and MI 172, the largest helicopter having 26 seats, could be operated from Noida, said officials.