Pradeep Panicker takes charge as President & CEO of DIAL

Delhi International Airport (DIAL) has appointed Pradeep Panicker as its President and Chief Executive Officer with effect from June 1, 2026.

Panicker takes over the role after serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of GMR Hyderabad International Airport from June 2020 to May 2026. During his tenure in Hyderabad, he led the airport through a period of growth and development across passenger, cargo and airport infrastructure operations.

Following Panicker's move to Delhi, Kadhir Kadhiravan assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of GMR Hyderabad International Airport in May 2026.

Panicker brings more than two decades of experience within the GMR airport network and has been closely associated with the development and management of India's airport sector. Before becoming CEO of Hyderabad Airport, he served as Deputy CEO of GMR Hyderabad International Airport from January 2018 to June 2020.

Prior to his Hyderabad assignment, Panicker was Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer (Aero & Property Development) at DIAL. In that role, he oversaw the airport's aerocommercial business, including airline marketing, air cargo operations, aero-related businesses and the management of land and commercial space at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

His association with the Delhi airport project dates back to its early stages. Panicker was part of the GMR-Fraport team that secured the bid for the modernisation and operation of Delhi's airport. He was involved in the project from 2004 and played a key role in the takeover and transition of Indira Gandhi International Airport from the Airports Authority of India in 2006.

Since May 2006, he has been part of the airport's leadership team, initially serving as Head of Strategic Process. He later moved into commercial leadership roles, contributing to the development of airline partnerships, cargo activities and airport business initiatives.

He was the founding President of Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI), a not-for-profit industry association established to provide a common platform for stakeholders across the air cargo ecosystem. The organisation works on issues related to innovation, process simplification, benchmarking, domestic cargo, trans-shipment and express logistics, bringing together companies from across the cargo and logistics value chain.