New Delhi, June 13 -- Passengers will be able to board flights from Noida International Airport (NIA) from June 15, marking the launch of commercial operations at the greenfield airport. Airport chief executive officer Nitu Samra and vice-chairman Christoph Schnellmann spoke to HT about the launch, connectivity plans, airline interest and the airport's long-term growth strategy. Edited excerpts: Samra: Just two days before this exciting day, let me tell you about connectivity. The airport is strategically located and well connected through the Yamuna Expressway. It offers signal-free connectivity and can be reached in around 25 minutes from Greater Noida and 45 minutes from Noida. It is also well connected to Gurugram, Faridabad and other cities. We have ensured that different modes of transport are available to suit different budgets and requirements. These range from airport taxis and app-based cab services to bus services. Samra: We expect international operations to begin by the end of the year. On June 15, we will start with a few destinations and around six flights a day. From July onwards, this will be ramped up to more than 20 destinations. As operations stabilise, more destinations will be added. In terms of footfall for our first financial year, we expect traffic to be in the range of 4.5 to 5 million passengers. As operations expand, we expect further growth. Christoph: I don't think that is a correct assessment. We understand the importance of keeping costs competitive and have been deliberate from day one in designing infrastructure and processes that enable quick, easy and cost-efficient operations for users. We see now that tariffs that have been determined as part of the regulatory tariff determination process are absolutely competitive, on par with other greenfield and brownfield projects across the country. Samra: International services will begin towards the end of the year. We have received interest from several airlines for destinations in southeast Asia, the UAE and in several other markets....