Home Minister Amit Shah has instructed that full-service immigration counters be operational “at the earliest” at Noida’s upcoming Jewar International Airport and at Agartala Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Tripura. The directive followed a high-level review of airport infrastructure and passenger processing held on 8 July 2026 with the Civil Aviation Minister and senior security chiefs. Jewar, slated to open commercial flights in Q1 2027, is a key hub for India’s export-oriented manufacturing belt in Uttar Pradesh. Having on-site immigration from day one means the airport can accept direct international cargo and business-jet movements rather than funnelling travellers through Delhi. In the North-East, Agartala’s new terminal—completed in 2025 but still handling only domestic flights—will gain international status once immigration posts and Customs green channels are activated, boosting cross-border trade with Bangladesh. The Home Minister also called for Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRROs) to be set up in every state capital by 2027 and endorsed the **Fast-Track Immigration–Trusted Travellers Programme (FTI-TTP)**, instructing airlines to nudge passengers via WhatsApp at the time of ticket purchase. A phased roll-out of automated tray-return systems at security checkpoints and updated norms for aerobridges were likewise approved. Why it matters to business: • Companies planning green-field investments around Jewar now have clarity that expatriate staff can arrive on direct flights without detouring via Delhi. • The FTI-TTP, if paired with biometric e-gates, could reduce arrival wait times by 40 %, according to CISF studies. • North-East states can pitch for MICE and IT services traffic that currently transits via Kolkata or Guwahati. Project managers should monitor notification in the Gazette of India; once the checkpoints are formally ‘notified ports of entry’, visa application forms will list ‘Noida (Jewar)’ and ‘Agartala’ as selectable airports.
Source: The Economic Times
