Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for what has been heralded as Asia's largest airport -- Noida International Airport, barely 80kms from the national capital.

Technically located in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Bugh Nagar district bordering Delhi, the greenfield airport will be the second international airport to come up in the National Capital Region, after Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi. To be developed in four phases, the airport is slated to begin flight operations in three years.

"Noida International Airport will be a great model from the point of view of connectivity. Passengers will be able to use taxis, metro, rail to access Yamuna Expressway, Noida, Greater Noida, UP, Delhi and Haryana," Modi said, addressing a massive gathering at the airport site in the Jewar area of Gautam Bugh Nagar.

"The airport will also have direct connectivity to the Delhi freight corridor. It will be a logistics gateway for northern India and an image of the National Gati Shakti Master Master Plan. This airport will change people's lives in the region," the Prime Minister added.

Zurich AG, the company that operates Switzerland's Zurich International Airport, has been awarded the concessionaire contract to develop and operate Noida International Airport. Once operational in the first phase by 2024 with one runway, the airport would cater to 1.2 crore passengers a year. By 2040, it would be able to handle 7 crore passengers.

"25th November is a major day for India's and Uttar Pradesh's strides in infra creation. This project will significantly boost commerce, connectivity and tourism," Modi tweeted before the foundation stone laying ceremony, his first public event since he announced the scrapping of the three contentious farm laws.

The airport, however, has been mired in a land acquisition controversy. Some farmers have been camping in makeshift tents, barely 800kms from the airport site, claiming that they are yet to get adequate compensation from the Uttar Pradesh government for their agricultural and residential land acquired for the ambitious project.

However, according to experts, the gala foundation stone laying ceremony is nothing but an attempt to showcase the development agenda of Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh before the assembly polls.

"It is said that the road to Delhi passes through Uttar Pradesh. And the party that wins the majority of seats in assembly polls in the northern state stands a fair chance to form the federal government. The general elections are due in 2024," said Prof RK Sinha, a retired Delhi University professor.