Noida airport CEO’s security clearance unlikely as govt not in favour of changing rule for greenfield airports | Business News
2 min readNew DelhiApr 22, 2026 02:13 AM IST
The CEO of the recently inaugurated Noida International Airport (NIA), Christoph Schnellmann, may not be able to get security clearance from the government, which is not in favour of amending aviation security rules that stipulate that a foreign national should not be the chief executive of a greenfield airport, according to sources. Schnellmann is a Swiss national; an arm of Zurich Airport International AG has developed the NIA, and will also be operating it.
The airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28, weeks after receiving its aerodrome licence on March 6. Yet, there is no clarity on when it will start commercial operations. Its aerodrome security programme (ASP) is still pending. The CEO’s security clearance from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is a prerequisite for the airport to start commercial operations.
According to a 2011 aviation security order by BCAS, the “chief executive officer of Indian nationality” at greenfield airports shall be the security coordinator of the airport and shall be responsible for coordinating the implementation of security measures.
According to sources, BCAS had sought approvals for changes in the rules from the Ministry of Home Affairs, but the government doesn’t appear to be in favour of granting any relaxation. Without his security clearance, the NIA would have to appoint an Indian national as the CEO in order to get all the requisite approvals to start commercial flight operations. Schnellmann has helmed the project through its initial development to its inauguration; he was appointed to lead the project in 2020.
Located in Uttar Pradesh’s Jewar, the NIA will serve as the second airport for Delhi-NCR and parts of western Uttar Pradesh. It is located around 80 km from central Delhi and about 60 km from central Noida. The airport has already faced considerable delays in its construction phase, and the delay in its ASP has now added to the wait.
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