Egis and Transdev to assist CCI Pau-Béarn in operation and management of Pau-Pyrénées Airport

At its Board meeting of 12 July 2016, the members of the Syndicat Mixte de l’Aéroport Pau-Pyrénées (SMAPP) approved a resolution to award the operation and management of Pau-Pyrénées Airport to the business grouping Air’Py, comprising Pau-Béarn Chamber of Commerce and Industry (51%), Egis (24.5%) and Transdev (24.5%).

SMAPP, made up of 19 local authorities including the Aquitaine regional council and chaired by the Greater Pau city council, is chiefly responsible for the airport’s development strategy and the supervision of the concession.

Since 1965, the Pau-Béarn Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) had been responsible for the management of the airport. Starting on 1 January 2017 and for a 12-year term, the CCI will now be working in association with Egis and Transdev, both subsidiaries of the Caisse des Dépôts and specialists in airport operation.

Pau-Pyrénées Airport, a gateway to the South West of France

Pau-Pyrénées Airport constitutes a major infrastructure facility in the Béarn area of France and plays an essential role in opening up access to and developing the second largest economic hub in the Nouvelle Aquitaine administrative region of France. With more than 635,000 passengers welcomed in 2015, Pau-Pyrénées Airport is the 18th largest airport in France in terms of ridership. Together with Bordeaux and Toulouse airports, it is the only airport in the larger South West part of France to be fitted with an all-weather landing system. Pau-Pyrénées offers six regular destinations.

The Airport is located at the heart of an economic hub which combines civilian activities (industry and services) and military activities (with the establishment of the airborne troop college). The vast majority of the airport’s clientele is made up of business travellers in connection with the large companies in the region (70% of passengers) but a proportion of passengers are tourists.

Egis and Transdev, the strength of an 18-airport network

To achieve this realistic and ambitious project, the concession holder will be able to draw on substantial knowledge of the local economic environment through CCI Pau-Bearn, and benefit from the force of the network of airports operated by Egis and Transdev, teaming up for the first time, together working to enhance and sustain the appeal of the Béarn area:

• Egis is one of the world leaders in consultancy and engineering services, project structuring and the operation of road and airport infrastructure. As a leading partner in the development and operation of airports in France and around the world, the Group is involved in the management and operation of 14 airports worldwide, representing a total of 25 million passengers and 321,000 tonnes of freight every year.

Thanks to an integrated approach and its multidisciplinary and complementary skills, Egis contributes valuable know-how to airport management (operational and financial performance, rational organisation, risk management, etc.), operations (deployment of the best international standards, suitable maintenance solutions, technological intelligence) and marketing and development (search for new airlines, new retail and service offerings, etc.).

• A worldwide leader in mobility and a longstanding partner of the airport sector, Transdev contributes to the efficient daily operation of regional and international airports, from multi-modal transportation to overall management. In France, Transdev is an active partner in the management of Beauvais, Lille, Perpignan and Carcassonne airports, with cumulative ridership in the region of 7 million passengers.

The Air’Py business grouping will roll out an investment programme worth more than €16 million over 12 years, including in particular the creations of a taxiway for the e-fan electric plan, an all-cargo plane parking facility and a Horse Border Inspection Post. These facilities will contribute to the vitality of sectors of excellence in the Béarn.

The investment programme also provides for the refurbishing of the current terminal and the conversion of the former terminal, both designed by Egis. This new offering of retail space, services and entertainment will transform the airport into a unique lively venue, a true showcase for the region and ideally served by the new mobility solutions offered by Transdev.

The efforts of Air’Py will also focus on the improvement of airline services, in particular towards the south east of France and Corsica, as well as on regular lines towards major European cities. The city of Pau and its surrounding region will thus become a destination offered to around ten French and European cities by 2018.