Phnom Penh Airport welcomes its first direct flight from Beijing

The airport that serves Cambodia’s capital city is strengthening its international links with China. The first of Air China’s thrice weekly flights between Beijing and Phnom Penh touched down on 7 January 2019. VINCI Airports has been helping to bolster the country’s economy and tourist industry since 1995, operating airports at Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville used by an impressive 11 million passengers a year.

Initial SEA HSL socioeconomic impact study is positive

Eighteen months after the opening of the South Europe Atlantic high-speed line (SEA HSL), LISEA delivered its first interim socioeconomic impact study. A chance to present the results of the SEA HSL Observatory’s findings, which highlight an increase in passenger numbers on the Tours-Bordeaux route, up 205 in 2018, and improvements to the transport options available in France nationally and regionally. The new line has also helped to boost the growing appeal of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region and the city of Bordeaux, as reflected by the rise in traffic and the number of business passengers. Created to analyse and publicise the socioeconomic impacts of the SAE HSL, the Observatory produces regional impact studies, approved by an independent scientific committee, for the benefit of local actors and stakeholders.

Stan the valet parking robot reinvents car parks

For the first time in the world, the Stanley Robotics outdoor valet parking robot, developed in partnership with Aéroports de Lyon, was presented in operation. The new system is in step with the innovation strategy adopted by VINCI Airports and Aéroports de Lyon, namely to better manage flows and improve passenger experience while keeping careful control over environmental impacts. This latest innovation is currently being rolled out to other airports in the network, notably London Gatwick.

Dublin’s ring road goes free flow

The consortium headed by VINCI Highways and Abtran was awarded the management contract for free-flow transactions and customer services on the Dublin ring road (M50). With an average of 145,000 vehicles each day, the Dublin ring road is the most heavily trafficked corridor of Ireland’s national roads network. VINCI Highways and its partners will combine their expertise to deliver a complete service covering all technology, systems and operations to support free-flow transactions, payment collection and transmission to the state agency. New Mobility-as-a-Service schemes are being rolled out, simplifying drivers’ experience while meeting the urban challenges of the fast-growing Irish capital.

Athens-Patras motorway honoured by the American Society of Civil Engineers

This motorway operated by VINCI Highways received the award for Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement. It was the only European project to receive an award in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2019 competition. The Athens-Patras motorway opened in April 2017 following a construction project which had to tackle a large number of technical challenges, including unstable geology, the simultaneous construction of a railway line and existing highway structures that remained open to traffic during construction. Since it opened to traffic, the Athens-Patras motorway has attracted a growing number of motorists thanks to improved road safety, smooth traffic flow and new customer services.

London Gatwick joins the VINCI Airports network

VINCI Airports completed acquisition of a majority shareholding (50.01%) in London Gatwick airport, the UK’s second-largest airport and ranked in Europe’s top 10. With this major transaction, VINCI Airports is now the world’s second-largest airport operator, welcoming over 255 million passengers a year at airports in 12 countries, including 46 million at Gatwick.

VINCI Concessions celebrates World Environment Day

To celebrate World Environment Day, VINCI Concessions reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable mobility. Protecting biodiversity is a central pillar of VINCI Concessions’ environmental policy. Through its subsidiaries and railway, highway and airport networks it systematically acts to preserve natural habitats, ensure that wildlife can continue to move around safely and reduce carbon emissions. The entire VINCI Concessions network got involved in the event, with numerous initiatives running across its 70 mobility structures to make sure all its stakeholders were involved.

Lyon-Saint Exupéry voted Best European Airport in its category

On 26 June 2019, during the ACI Best Airports Awards 2019, Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport was voted Best European Airport in the 10 to 25 million passenger category. The award recognises the very strong commitments made by VINCI Airports and the airport teams in terms of the environment, innovation, quality of service and customer satisfaction. It also marks the first time in 10 years that a French airport has headed the field in Europe.

Presidents Macron and Vučić launch modernisation work at Belgrade airport

On the occasion of his official visit to the Republic of Serbia, Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, joined Aleksandar Vučić, President of the Republic of Serbia, to launch the Belgrade airport modernisation project. The two leaders were joined by Xavier Huillard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI, and Nicolas Notebaert, President of VINCI Airports and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI Concessions. Over €730 million will be invested during the 25-year concession period to raise the airport’s quality of service to the highest international standards and enable it to ultimately serve 15 million passengers.

Delivery of the Regina bypass in Canada

28 October 2019 saw VINCI Concessions officially open the motorway bypass around Regina, capital of Saskatchewan province. Comprising 61 km of highway, 12 new interchanges and 33 new bridges and viaducts and representing an investment of around €1.3 billion, it is the biggest infrastructure project in the history of Saskatchewan and the province’s first public-private partnership for a road project. It is designed to make driving safer as well as boosting the regional economy. Construction started in 2015 and was completed in just four years. It will be operated and maintained for 30 years by VINCI Highways and Carmacks, Eurovia’s Canadian subsidiary.

Inauguration of the motorway between Moscow and Saint Petersburg

In late November, the final section (section 8) of the new motorway linking Russia’s two main cities and cutting travel time from nine hours to around five and a half was officially opened at a ceremony presided over by Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and attended by Yves-Thibault de Silguy, Vice-Chairman of VINCI’s Board of Directors, and Nicolas Notebaert, Chief Executive Officer of VINCI Concessions and President of VINCI Airports. VINCI Concessions and its partners designed, financed and delivered sections 7 and 8 and will operate them until 2041 under a public-private partnership with Avtodor, the Russian state highway company.

Upgrading Salvador Bahia airport

Just twelve months after officially taking over operation of Salvador Bahia airport in 2018, VINCI Airports has delivered the programme of works to modernise and extend the airport. The modernisation works were carried out in synergy with VINCI Energies and have expanded the airport’s potential and made it an efficient and friendly gateway to the Bahia region. Passenger capacity at the airport has risen from 10 to 15 million passengers per year.

The project’s particularly ambitious environmental aspects are a benchmark in sustainable infrastructure transition and a perfect illustration of AirPact, the VINCI Airports environmental policy.