DragonPass: The Chinese firm Adani dropped, who owns it, runs it, and what happens now

Chinese travel platform DragonPass has been dropped by Adani Airport Holdings after rising concerns over national security. The partnership, announced in early May, was terminated as India tightened scrutiny on foreign companies post Operation Sindoor.

DragonPass, headquartered in Guangzhou, China, offers airport lounge access and travel privileges through premium credit cards and corporate programs. 

Globally, it operates a network of 1,200+ lounges, including partnerships with the Plaza Premium Group.

In India, DragonPass had expanded to lounges at Adani-managed airports such as Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, and Guwahati, and had access to multiple locations at Delhi International Airport—T1D, T2D, T3 Arrivals, T3 International, and T3 Domestic (D49).

Beyond Delhi, DragonPass had a presence in over 30 Indian cities, including Agartala, Ahmedabad, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Calicut, Coimbatore, Cochin, Indore, Dibrugarh, Dehradun, Goa (two airports), Guwahati, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Kannur, Lucknow, Mumbai, Madurai, Nagpur, Pune, Chennai, Ranchi, Srinagar, Amritsar, Trivandrum, Varanasi, Vadodara, Vishakhapatnam.

The backdrop to this move is India’s increased focus on critical infrastructure security. Following the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, authorities have intensified checks on foreign entities—particularly Chinese and Turkish firms—operating in sensitive sectors like aviation.

Concerns over data privacy, access to passenger information, and potential surveillance risks led to a reassessment of DragonPass’s role. 

Given the sensitive nature of airport operations, the partnership was deemed a liability.

Who runs DragonPass?

DragonPass is led by CEO Mark Ian Koch, a British national who also heads DragonPass International Ltd, incorporated in the UK. The company has been aggressively expanding, targeting 1,500 lounges globally by 2025 and serving over 10 million members.

For Indian travelers, alternatives remain available. Priority Pass continues as the leading global lounge access provider, widely linked with Indian bank cards. Domestic aggregator DreamFolks offers comprehensive coverage across India’s airports. Additionally, premium bank cards from major Indian banks provide direct lounge access benefits.

While DragonPass’s exit impacts convenience for some flyers, India’s priority is clear: safeguarding data and infrastructure integrity.

The development reflects a wider reassessment of foreign partnerships in sensitive sectors, but no formal moves have been announced by other airports yet.