The Olympic Games, bringing the future of travel closer
As they greeted the athletes attending the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games – along with their luggage, not to mention spectators from around the world – the teams at Groupe ADP gave proof of the company’s exceptional ability to provide hospitality and a warm welcome. The Olympic and Paralympic Games also provided a major boost to our efforts to support all passengers in an innovative way, as part of a major step forward towards a new, more inclusive airport model.
A legacy of innovations in guiding and serving passengers
More than ever, airports served as the primary gateway to France for hundreds of thousands of tourists, during a summer when all eyes were on Paris. What’s more, the departure process was like a sprint, given the number of people leaving the city within 48 hours of the closing ceremony: 60% of the athletes departed on a single day, August 12!
With help from an off-terminal check-in system at the Olympic Village, constructed on an unprecedented scale, the departure process was tailored to the teams of athletes and their luggage: 89 check-in stations were installed at nine locations in the Olympic Village. At Paris-Charles de Gaulle, after having checked in for their return flight at the Olympic Village, the athletes and delegations passed through a special boarding lounge hosting festivities and French culinary treats, to provide one last memory of Paris.
And thanks to an exceptional effort by the Border Police, all of the automated fast-track crossing systems at the country’s borders were mobilized to handle passengers; as a result, 99% of travelers had a wait of less than 20 minutes at border controls this summer.
Faster, more modern connections
For connections between Paris-Orly airport and Paris city center, the extension of line 14 to Orly airport, inaugurated for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, now ensures that travelers can reach the heart of Paris in 25 minutes. This advance is changing the lives of airport workers as well as travelers.
In the area of air/rail connections, the Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 railway station has been largely modernized, thanks to a program undertaken with SNCF Gares et Connections. Already, 15 million users pass through this multimodal hub every year. By 2035 ridership will more than double as rail service expands, with the arrival of the CDG Express (2027), line 17 of the Grand Paris Express (2030), the Roissy-Picardie link (2027) and the increase in high-speed-rail traffic.
Since summer 2024, new signage has been put in place and spaces have been cleared to facilitate travel during the renovation work. Proper “entry gates” from the train station to the airport have been installed as well. The airport is getting a fresh look and gradually acquiring its new accoutrements.
Welcoming the world in all its diversity
Improving the services provided to people with disabilities of all kinds can leave a true legacy for years to come.
Groupe ADP has embraced this issue: in December 2022 the Group renamed Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport "Anne de Gaulle" for several days in honor of De Gaulle’s daughter, who was born with Down’s Syndrome. This was followed by the creation of a dedicated stakeholder committee with representatives from organizations that advocate for persons with disabilities. The committee supervised the Group’s efforts in the months leading up to the Paralympic Games to ensure the highest level of hospitality for people with disabilities.
Groupe ADP has made concrete progress on this issue over the past few months, with the Olympic and Paralympic Games proving a high point. Several services and facilities were established for the summer of 2024 and made permanent: changing rooms, sunflower lanyards for travelers with invisible disabilities, special areas to provide assistance.
In fact, nearly 150 upgrades were made: there are now 42 areas for passenger assistance and three service dog stations, all easily accessible from every terminal. Travelers also have access to special information and services, such as a sunflower lanyard for those with invisible disabilities, “self-serve” wheelchair service and magnetic induction terminals designed for hearing-impaired passengers.
New procedures have been introduced to ensure that passengers can remain in their wheelchair for their entire experience until they board or from the time they deboard the plane; those procedures will gradually be rolled out everywhere by the end of 2025.
Lastly, all employees who interact with passengers at Paris airports have been trained to provide appropriate support for every type of disability. With the entire airport community coming together around a major historic event, there is now a strong commitment to solidarity for the future.
A cultural legacy as well!
Ninety-four percent of the materials from the special facilities set up at Paris airports last summer for the 2024 Paris Games will be re-used.
Among the solutions Paris Aéroport has devised for recycling those materials: the design of two original artworks. With CENTQuatre-PARIS, the Group is calling on artists to create two works based on reused materials, including wood, metal and plastic. The two long-term art installations will be located at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly.
To date, 21 tons of materials have been recovered by MUTO, a Groupe ADP partner that specializes in the community-minded reuse of temporary facilities. Thirty percent of those materials will be available for the selected artists to use in their work.
One artwork will be on display before and after Paris 2024!