Setback for Jewar airport: Plea against expat CEO's rule rejected

THe unification place ministry has turned land a ask for to tweak rules to grant a foreign national to hold the post of chief executive of a greenfield airport, multiple officials aware of the matter told HT — a decision that affects the upcoming Noida airport.The airport, developed and to be operated by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Limited, is a subsidiary of Swiss firm Zurich Airport International AG with Christoph Schellmann as its CEO.“The MHA is not in favour of allowing expats to be the CEO of a greenfield airport,” one of the officials said, asking not to be named.A letter seeking to amend the rules — which mandate that the chief executive of a greenfield airport be an Indian national, on grounds of air operations security — was written to MHA by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the aviation security regulator under the civil aviation ministry.“The request has been denied,” a second official confirmed.A third official told HT that the decision leaves Noida airport with few options.“The denial of amendments to the rules implies that the already delayed Noida airport, whose CEO is a Swiss national, may have to replace the CEO in the worst-case scenario,” a third official said.The Noida International Airport, located at Jewar in Greater Noida, some 60km from Noida, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28. The airport said on March 6 that it had received an aerodrome licence, and indicated that its regulatory approval process had one matter pending: the Aerodrome Security Programme.On Tuesday, the airport said it was working with the authorities but did not address the CEO’s clearance status.“We are working closely with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to secure approval for the Aerodrome Security Programme (ASP). 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 Noida airport spokesperson said.The MHA did not respond to queries sent by HT.The CEO is yet to clear the mandatory security checks, the third official cited above added. “The CEO is yet to receive his security clearance from the home ministry and be vetted by BCAS, the security arm of the civil aviation ministry. Both steps are mandatory for airport executives, and this issue is now the only factor delaying the commencement of flight operations,” the official added.The legal basis for the requirement is a BCAS AVSEC order dated January 17, 2011: “The chief executive officer of Indian nationality at each greenfield Indian airport and the airport director or in-charge airport management at AAI airports which are served by civil flights shall be the security coordinator at the respective airports and shall be responsible for coordinating the implementation of security measures in accordance with the legal provisions and instructions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security from time to time.”Officials confirmed that efforts to amend this rule date to 2022, when the issue first came to light. “In 2022, a show-cause notice was issued to the airport management for non-compliance with the AVSEC order; however, no action was taken. A proposal to amend the rules was also sent; however, no conclusion was reached,” the official said.