India, June 15 -- More than 70 kilometres from Delhi, India's most ambitious aviation hub, the Noida International Airport in Gautam Budh Nagar's Jewar, began operations on Monday, with the first flight by IndiGo landing at the greenfield facility at 7:55am.

The flight had taken off from Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport at 7:14am and landed in Noida about 10 minutes ahead of schedule, kickstarting the operations of what has to become the biggest airport in India and the largest cargo hub in Asia.

The flight carried numerous industrialists, including more than 70 employees and others sponsored by Noida-based CRC Group. Actress and former politician Gul Panag, who is herself a licensed private pilot, was also among them.

In a cha...