PARIS SKIES TO CLOSE DURING THE PARIS 2024 OPENING CEREMONY

For the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, taking place on Friday 26 July 2024 from 7pm to midnight, air traffic will be prohibited in Paris and its surrounding areas within a 150-kilometre radius. “With the exception of emergency service flights and flights with an exceptional exemption granted by the French Air and Space Force, no flying (nor take-off, landing or overflight) will be permitted in this airspace during the hours stated”, confirmed the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC). Other measures governing air traffic will also be introduced for Paris 2024. These are currently being drawn up and will be announced in the spring.

PARIS-CHARLES DE GAULLE: REOPENING OF HALL 6 IN TERMINAL 1

Terminal 1’s Hall 6 has just reopened after a series of technical tests and successful ORAT (Operational Readiness Activation and Transition) trials. Equipped with 11 check-in desks, of which 7 offer automated baggage drop-off (ABD), this new area is being used since 5 December for flights operated by Scandinavian airline SAS. Other carriers will soon be using it as well to reduce congestion in the check-in areas and improve the quality of service throughout the terminal. 10 self-service kiosks located nearby are also available for passenger use. “With the recovery of Chinese traffic, which now equates to more than 40% of 2019 traffic, and longer-term growth prospects, the opening of Hall 6 will enable us to increase check-in capacity in Terminal 1 by 9%”, explains Nicolas Vandable, Head of Projects, Airline Relations and Business Services within the Terminals Division.

ZERO-EMISSION GROUND OPERATIONS AT PARIS-LE BOURGET

After the successful trial of the “green touchdown” in April for the electrification of ground handling operations, the recent “green taxiing” challenge took place over three weeks at Paris-Le Bourget. This initiative, carried out in partnership with Dassault, the airline Amelia, ground support equipment supplier TCR, French Air Navigation Services and the ECP Laboratory, has resulted in aircraft being towed from their parking stand to the runway threshold by an electric towing tractor. “This series of tests demonstrated that we could run the aircraft with low emissions, both on departure and on arrival”, explains Sébastien Couturier, Managing Director of Paris-Le Bourget. “The compact size of the airport and the use of off-the-shelf electrical equipment suggest real potential.” The result will be a drastic reduction in engine uptime and associated CO2 emissions (in the region of 5,500 tonnes per year), fuel savings and decreased noise pollution.

EXTIME DUTY FREE PARIS, THE NEW DUTY FREE OFFER

Since 15 December, all BuYPARIS Duty Free shops at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly are now Extime Duty Free Paris shops. This is a new key stage in the Extime brand's hospitality strategy, which now includes an extensive, digital offer through the roll-out of Extime Duty Free in the Paris airports. The Click & Collect service via extime.com also grants passengers and Group employees access to a wider range of products than is available in the shops (more than 10,000 items). The brand operates in beauty, gastronomy and fashion outlets.

PARIS-ORLY, 6 MONTHS OF CSR INITIATIVES

December 13 was dedicated to the Environmental Alliance at Paris-Orly, six months after its creation on 5 June. It is a first in the French airport landscape. 39 Groupe ADP partner companies are currently committed to the environmental transformation of this Paris airport. “The Alliance is a motivated, lively collective which doesn't shy away from debates and is prepared to be bold. It's a wonderful antidote to inertia, and has led to some very useful projects!”, emphasises Justine Coutard, Managing Director of Paris-Orly. Examples include the experiments conducted with Atalian and GSF on the use of rainwater collected by the stormwater treatment system to clean the terminal floor, and the sorting of waste collected on board Air Corsica and EasyJet flights. Another topic addressed was the airport’s appeal in terms of employment. Renaud Morel, Chief Sustainable Development Officer, and Charles-Armand Notter, the division's HR Manager, discussed the challenges of employee airport accessibility and ways to accelerate the decarbonisation of mobility.

A SYMPOSIUM TO ANTICIPATE THE MOBILITY CHALLENGES OF TOMORROW

As part of Groupe ADP's support for the Chair on the Defence and Security of the National Territory, a symposium on 13 December brought together a wide range of personalities from the academic and business worlds, as well as from the French Army, to discuss “The use of drones on national territory: issues, threats and opportunities”. Edward Arkwright, Deputy CEO, opened the event with a reminder of the vital importance of airport safety and security. Nevertheless, driverless flying objects remain a source of opportunities for thinking about and building the airport of tomorrow. A round table discussion led by the Audit, Safety and Risk Management Division, in conjunction with Hologarde in particular, was a chance to exchange views on the specific issue of drone control at our airports.

GMR AIRPORTS HOSTS THE ANNUAL ROUTE DEVELOPMENT SEMINAR IN GOA

On 6 and 7 December, the annual One Group Route Development seminar took place in Goa, India. 25 employees attended the event, including representatives from GMR Airports, TAV Airports, Merchant Aviation, Amman, Antalya, Ravinala and staff from the Groupe ADP Development Division. The numerous exchanges between participants enabled them to share best practices in terms of traffic forecasts, commercial route modelling and the development of tourist destinations. They also helped to identify opportunities for joint business development and preparations for the next annual route development strategy process. The seminar ended with a visit to Goa's new airport.

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