Less than a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the Noida International Airport, the project has run into a fresh regulatory snag that could delay the start of commercial flights. The issue centres on replacing its Swiss CEO with an Indian national.
According to Economic Times, the BCAS denied security clearance to Christoph Schenellmann, the CEO of Noida International Airport. The decision was made because he is a foreign national, and that violates the rules set for new (greenfield) airports in India.
What do the rules say?
According to a 2011 BCAS order, the CEO of any greenfield airport must be an Indian citizen. This is because the CEO also acts as the security coordinator, a role that involves handling sensitive national security matters and coordinating with intelligence agencies.
Impact on flight operations
The lack of security clearance means the airport cannot begin commercial flight operations until the CEO position complies with the rules, the report added citing a senior government official.
In March, the airport received its aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), but its Aerodrome Security Programme (ASP) is still under review by BCAS.
Noida Airport told ET that it is working closely with BCAS to get approval for the security programme. “Following this, we will coordinate with all stakeholders to finalise timelines for the commencement of commercial operations. Our efforts are focused on ensuring that all systems, processes, and personnel are fully aligned to deliver a safe, efficient, and seamless start of operations,” a company spokesperson told ET.
NIA CEO appointment: A long-standing concern?
The Noida project is also notable for being India’s first airport with 100% foreign ownership. Schnellmann, a Swiss national, has been leading the project since 2020. Zurich Airport Group, which won the contract in 2019 to build and operate the airport for 40 years, has already invested around Rs 7,200 crore in the first phase.
However, the leadership issue has been a long-standing concern. In 2023, authorities issued a show-cause notice to the airport operator over the CEO’s nationality, but no changes were made, leading to continued disagreement with regulators, according to officials cited by Business Today.
However, aviation insiders told The Times of India that such restrictions do not apply to airline CEOs. IndiGo’s previous and incoming CEOs are expatriates, and Air India’s outgoing CEO is also a foreign national. “A number of Indian-origin people are heading key tech firms in the US that have a significant role in national security there. There should be proper security clearance for anyone appointed to such positions, with restrictions only on nationals of countries that are, from time to time, considered hostile to India by the government,” TOI quoted aviation insider, as saying.