Noida International Airport Appoints Nitu Samra As Interim CEO

Noida International Airport (NIA) on Friday appointed Nitu Samra as Chief Executive Officer on an interim basis with immediate effect, succeeding Christoph Schnellmann.

The move comes after directions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), which mandate that airport CEOs in India must be Indian nationals.

According to NIA, Samra will remain in the role until the Board of Directors completes a formal selection process.

She has been serving as Chief Financial Officer of NIA since October 2021.

Christoph Schnellmann, who has led the airport as Chief Executive Officer since August 2020, will move to the Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman.

In this role, he will continue to support the airport’s development and its transition into operations.

The leadership restructuring comes after the inauguration of Noida International Airport in March 2026.

The airport said the revised structure is aimed at supporting operational readiness while ensuring regulatory compliance.

According to Daniel Bircher, Chairman of Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, the management transition is intended to enable the airport to commence operations at the earliest while meeting BCAS requirements.

The BCAS had rejected the security approval of Schnellmann.

As per current aviation security norms, this is a violation of rules set for new airports. The CEO of a greenfield airport should be an Indian national.

A 2011 order by the BCAS requires that the CEO of any greenfield airport shall act as the security coordinator and be responsible for coordinating the implementation of security measures.

Zurich Airport Group has developed the airport through its Indian arm, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, under a 40-year PPP (public-private partnership) with the UP government.

The Swiss company has invested about Rs 7,200 crore in the first phase of developing the airport.

It is the first time that a foreign company owns 100 percent equity in an airport in India.