The announcement comes three days after the Union Home Ministry turned down a request to tweak rules to allow a foreign national to hold the post of CEO of a greenfield airport, keeping in mind security of air operations. The decision directly impacted Noida airport, developed and operated by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Swiss firm Zurich Airport International AG with Swiss national Schnellmann as its CEO.

The denial implied that the CEO of the already delayed airport would have to be replaced. Written information was sent to the airport on Tuesday night.

Schnellmann, who has been CEO of NIA since August 2020, will now join the airport’s board of directors as executive vice chairman.

Samra has been serving as CFO of NIAL since October 2021 and has been closely involved in the airport’s development, overseeing financial stewardship, governance, and strategic planning during a key phase of the project.