Launch of upgrade works at the Toulon Hyères airport

14 October 2019 - 5:45 pm - Events - France

· The airport's largest investment since it was built
· Six new destinations introduced by VINCI Airports
· Special attention paid to the airport's environmental performance

VINCI is today launching work to upgrade the runways and runway lighting system at the Toulon Hyères airport. VINCI Airports began operating the airport in 2015 under a 25-year French government concession awarded by the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC - civil aviation authority) and the French Ministry of the Armed Forces (Navy).

A ceremony held at the airport was attended by Xavier Huillard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI, Commodore Laurent Hemmer, Deputy Mediterranean Area Commander, Nicolas Notebaert, Chief Executive Officer of VINCI Concessions and President of VINCI Airports, and Yves Tatibouet, Southeast Civil Aviation Safety Director (DGAC).

As one of France's three combined civil and military airports, Toulon Hyères requires day-to-day coordination between the VINCI Airports teams and the naval air base.

The upgrade works comprise:
- renovation of the runways and taxiways,
- refurbishment of the airport's runway lighting system
- work to bring the airport into compliance with the French water law.

The work will be carried out by a joint venture bringing together the TP Spada (Eurovia) and Degreane (VINCI Energies) companies.

The investment, amounting to €27.5 million, including €6.9 million in public funding, is the airport's largest since it was built in 1967.

This investment is part of the programme undertaken in 2015 by VINCI Airports to develop the potential of the Toulon Hyres airport in order to boost the appeal of the region it serves. In four years, VINCI Airports has introduced six new destinations in France (Lille, Nantes, Strasbourg) and other countries (Antwerp, Geneva, Southampton). In addition, the business aviation activity (number of aircraft movements) has increased 20% since VINCI Airports took over the activity in January 2017.

These results were obtained by working with local authorities – Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée, Agence de Développement Var Tourisme, and the South region – towards the common goal of continuing to enhance the Var department's appeal as a tourist destination and boost its international name recognition.

Along with these actions, particular attention is being paid to the airport's environmental performance. In September 2019, the airport was awarded ISO 14001 certification in recognition of its work to reduce its environmental footprint, which includes:
- use of a fleet of electric runway vehicles,
- installation of electric vehicle charging stations for airport users,
- target of 100% LED lighting by 2020,
- zero pesticides used to maintain green spaces,
- plastics recycling.

These activities resulted in a 6% reduction in per-passenger energy consumption and a 25% reduction in water consumption in 2019 compared to the previous year. Toulon Hyres is also the first airport in France to test the Ground Power Unit, a zero-emission aircraft starter generator.

Nicolas Notebaert, Chief Executive Officer of VINCI Concessions and President of VINCI Airports, said: “The launch of this works programme reflects our commitment to the naval air base and the DGAC to expand the Toulon Hyères airport and make it the gateway to the Var and thus boost the department's prestige, in close and positive consultation with our local economic and tourist industry partners.”

 

Download infographic (490 Kb)

 

 

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.