Lyon-Saint Exupéry, ACI Europe Best Airport award for 2019

9 September 2019 - 5:45 pm - Events - France

· Excellent operating performance since 2016: 27% more passengers, 52 new routes opened, launch of numerous innovative services
· New goals for Lyon-Saint Exupéry: first innovation centre of excellence for the VINCI Airports network and exemplary environmental performance

Operated by VINCI Airports and its partners under a concession contract since 2016, Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport has won Airports Council International’s “ACI Europe Best Airport 2019 Award” in the 10-25 million passengers category.

Olivier Jankovec, ACI’s Director General Europe, presented the award today at an official ceremony held at Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport and attended by Xavier Huillard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI and Nicolas Notebaert, Chief Executive Officer of VINCI Concessions and Chairman of VINCI Airports. Also present were Étienne Blanc, First Vice-President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, Christophe Guilloteau, President of the Rhône Département, David Kimelfeld, President of the Greater Lyon Métropole, Gérard Collomb, Mayor of Lyon and Emmanuel Imberton, President of the Lyon Métropole Saint Etienne Roanne Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Vice-President of the Aéroports de Lyon Supervisory Board, alongside numerous other personalities from the Lyon area, as well as VINCI Airports’ teams.

The award confirms the very positive operating results achieved by VINCI Airports since 2016:
· Strong development of the airport’s connectivity, with 52 new routes, including Warsaw and Beirut, two capital cities that now have a direct link to Lyon;
· Growth in passenger numbers: 11 million in 2018, representing an increase of almost 27% in three years;
· Improved customer experience thanks to the introduction of new world-first services including the valet parking robot and bus-rail-air intermodal connectivity;
· A sustained environmental performance, with the award of ACA 3+ accreditation in 2017, confirming the airport’s status as a carbon neutral facility.

Lyon-Saint Exupéry is the first French airport to win an ACI award since 2010, succeeding other major European airports at the top of the leader board, including Hamburg (2018), Brussels (2016), Milan (2015) and Athens (2014).

New growth goals for Lyon-Saint Exupéry

To continue and amplify this momentum, VINCI Airports has today announced new goals for Lyon-Saint Exupéry.

In terms of quality of service, the airport becomes one of VINCI Airports’ three innovation centres of excellence, alongside Lisbon and London Gatwick. VINCI Airports will make Lyon one of its leading-edge airports, trialling the latest digital, biometric and artificial intelligence technologies, before rolling out the benefits to all 46 of its airports in 12 countries.

Lyon-Saint Exupéry is exemplary worldwide in terms of environmental performance and will define the best practices that will make a reality of VINCI Airports’ goals for its entire network.

Nicolas Notebaert, Chief Executive Officer of VINCI Concessions and Chairman of VINCI Airports, said: “The fact that Lyon airport has been ranked top of all European airports is extremely encouraging, all the more so because it was the result of a collective effort. Firstly, the Lyon region, which decided in favour of openness, mobility and accessibility as the basis for its future. It also reflects the success of a business model, the airport concession that brings together the energies of both the public and the private energy for the benefit of the airport and, more broadly, for all local stakeholders. Lastly, and above all, it reflects the success of Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport teams, which have fully embraced the overall VINCI Airports drive to deliver irreproachable service to airport passengers every day. This positive assessment enables us to set new goals for Lyon airport with every confidence. The airport will continue along the path to improvement, in particular in terms of airport innovation and environmental issues.”

 

About VINCI
VINCI is a global player in concessions, energy and construction, employing 280,000 people in more than 120 countries. We design, finance, build and operate infrastructure and facilities that help improve daily life and mobility for all. Because we believe in all-round performance, we are committed to operating in an environmentally, socially responsible and ethical manner. And because our projects are in the public interest, we consider that reaching out to all our stakeholders and engaging in dialogue with them is essential in the conduct of our business activities. Based on that approach, VINCI’s ambition is to create long-term value for its customers, shareholders, employees, partners and society in general.