New Delhi: The Noida International Airport (NIA) appointed Neetu Samra as the interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on Friday, April 24. Samra will hold the chair until the authority announces a permanent CEO. Samra replaced Christoph Schnellmann, a Swiss resident, who had been in the position since August 2020, but now NIA rejects the idea of a foreign national being at the helm.
Samra completed her bachelor’s in commerce from Delhi University and later completed the Chartered Accountant certification from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). She held several senior finance leadership roles across private organisations.
She also served as the Finance Director at LeasePlan India Pvt. Ltd. and had more than two decades of experience in corporate financial leadership.
‘ÇEO of Indian airport should be an Indian national’: NIA
The NIA interim CEO has been serving as the CFO since October 2021, where she was overseeing the development journey, governance, strategic planning, and finance during the important period of the project.
The announcement of an Indian national CEO has delayed the commencement of the commercial operations of the airport, whose first phase was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
“This change follows directions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that the Chief Executive Officer of an airport in India is required to be an Indian national,” NIA said in a statement.
Schnellmann isn’t being removed from the board, as he will be joining the NIA’s Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman, where he will continue the role in supporting the project and its transition to operation.
The government pointed out the launch window of 45 to 60 days after inauguration. The airport will initially handle 1.2 crore passengers per annum in the first phase. Once fully developed, the airport’s capacity will increase from 1.2 crore to 7 crore annually.