Lucknow, 08

March (HS): Women professionals are playing a critical part in the development

and operational planning of the forthcoming Noida International Airport,

contributing to leadership, technical, and aviation safety functions as the

greenfield project prepares to commence passenger operations. The airport,

which just acquired its aerodrome license from the Directorate General of Civil

Aviation (DGCA), is likely to commence passenger services within the next

one-and-a-half to two months, according to authorities.

In its

first phase, it covered over 1,300 hectares and had a single runway and

terminal building capable of processing around 12 million people per year. Airport

officials stated that the project has allowed the organization to establish a

diverse workforce from the bottom up, ensuring that women engage not just in

leadership roles, but also in technical, safety, and operational duties vital

to the functioning of a contemporary international airport.

Women now

contribute in a wide range of airport duties, including operations planning,

architecture and design, finance, digital systems, regulatory functions, and

commercial operations, according to a project official. The airport's

leadership structure contains numerous top roles occupied by women,

demonstrating the attempt to incorporate gender diversity into the project's

organizational architecture from the beginning.

Kiran

Jain, the airport's Chief Operating Officer, has over 30 years of expertise in

aviation and hospitality in India and the United States. She has been heavily

involved in the planning of operational systems, organizing airline

partnerships, and getting the airport ready for live operations.

Nitu

Samra, Chief Financial Officer, is in charge of financial strategy and

governance. He has over 25 years of expertise in financial services and asset

management. Her responsibilities include coordinating financial planning,

regulatory cooperation, and long-term financial management at the airport.

Mili

Saxena, Head of Human Resources (HR), who is in charge of HR strategy and

workforce, has helped shape recruiting procedures, talent development, and

diversity efforts as the airport prepares to debut. Women also occupy critical

positions in other functional areas such as regulatory coordination, facilities

management, aviation safety, aero-commercial operations, infrastructure

preparation, and digital systems management, authorities stated.

Women hold

numerous crucial leadership positions at the airport, including COO, CFO, and

Head HR, demonstrating how women are shaping strategic choices as well as

operational readiness, according to the official. They are also involved in

fundamental technological and operational sectors critical to airport

operations.

Currently,

around 45 women work in fields such as architecture and terminal design,

airside compliance, operational command roles, regulatory monitoring, and

digital system management. Women workers perform duties such as Lead Airport

Operations Control Center (APOC), Lead Flight Operations, Senior Architect,

Lead Compliance and Audit, Lead Airside Compliance, and IT Service Desk

Management. Given the nature of airport operations, many of these professions

work in shift-based contexts, with teams working long hours to assure system

monitoring, operational preparedness, and coordination prior to the airport's

inauguration.

Women also

work in the airport's Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) unit, which is

in charge of emergency response and aviation safety, according to officials. Currently,

five women serve on the ARFF team, and they get the same specialist training

and readiness measures as those necessary for aircraft emergency response.

In

addition, women work in internal security roles that assist surveillance,

access control, and operational coordination in the airport ecosystem. Authorities

stated that once airport operations commence, officers from the Central

Industrial Security Force (CISF) will be in charge of airport security. Women

also played an important role throughout the airport's development, notably in

engineering and safety tasks.

According

to officials, female professionals made up 16 of the 30 engineering personnel

involved in major project operations, with six women serving on environment,

health, and safety (EHS) teams. Their participation demonstrates the growing

involvement of women in infrastructure development and construction management,

sectors with historically low female representation.

Airport

officials stated that other organizational initiatives have also been

implemented to assist personnel operating in a 24x7 operational environment.

These include secure transportation arrangements, well-defined shift patterns,

creche facilities for working parents, and established grievance resolution

methods. The goal is to create a workplace culture that values equal

opportunity, diversity, and inclusion, according to authorities. As a

greenfield project, the airport had the chance to create an inclusive workforce

from the start, with women represented in leadership, operational, and

technical roles, according to one official.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi