Noida International Airport Appoints Nitu Samra as Interim CEO After Foreign CEO Denied Security Clearance

New Delhi: Noida International Airport has appointed Nitu Samra as interim chief executive officer in an urgent stop-gap measure to start flight operations after Christoph Schnellmann was denied security clearance. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) rejected the security clearance of Schnellmann as CEO as he is not an Indian national, as ET reported on Wednesday.

Samra, who has been serving as chief financial officer of the airport, will serve as interim CEO until the company board finalises a new chief executive, the airport said in a statement on Friday. Schnellmann, who has led the airport as CEO since August 2020, will join its board of directors as executive vice chairman.

While the airport received its aerodrome license from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March, its aerodrome security programme (ASP) has yet to be approved by BCAS. A 2011 order by the aviation security regulator mandates that the CEO of any greenfield Indian airport shall be its security coordinator, responsible for coordinating the implementation of security measures.

"This management change brings the airport into compliance with security requirements while maintaining continuity in the airport's leadership team," said Daniel Bircher, chairman of Zurich airport-owned Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd, which is the holding company of the airport. "The goal was to enable the start of operations as early as possible."

Zurich airport won the bid to build and operate the Noida airport for 40 years in 2019. The company has invested around Rs 7,200 crore in the first phase. The Noida airport is the first instance of a foreign investor owning 100% equity of an Indian airport.