Paris airports call on SYSTRA’s expertise

The ADP Group, which develops and operates airport hubs including Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, has chosen to work with a group of experts to support the arrival of new transport systems.

At Paris-Orly, this involves monitoring the design of new exclusive right-of-way public transport systems within the airport itself: the creation of an automatic guided transport system connecting the hub’s centres of interest to the terminals and to Grand Paris Express (GPE) station L14/L18, as well as the creation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines. At Paris-CDG, the project also aims to create BRT services. This ATMO is being carried out in a consortium with Setec (lead), Urbanica and Bearing Point.

Preparing for the future of travel to and from airports

With the aim of reducing carbon emissions and improving accessibility to neighbouring areas, the ADP Group has made the development of mobility to and from its airports a priority. At the same time, the ADP Group wants to develop transport within Paris-Orly and Paris-CDG.

To achieve this, SYSTRA is a key partner: since 2023, as part of another ATMO, SYSTRA France teams have been involved in the renewal of Paris-CDG airport’s automatic internal shuttles*, CDGVAL and LISA. This project is part of the new mobility plan for the airport, one of the busiest in Europe. In collaboration with Artelia, Richez_Associés and Bearing Point, the contract should lead to the modernisation of shuttle services and new links within the airport’s reserved area (i.e. after inspections and border crossings) by 2037.

SYSTRA France is reaffirming its support for the country’s leading airport operator, the ADP Group, and for the development of public transport. The opening of new transport routes to access or circulate within airports will make traffic flow more smoothly and avoid the use of cars, both for passengers and airport employees, in areas where traffic is dense.

Rémy Pasquer, Director of Urban Services at the Urban Projects Department (DPU), SYSTRA France

A longstanding relationship with the ADP Group

SYSTRA has been working with the ADP Group since the 1980s to optimise and develop its infrastructure. When it came to improving access to terminals, we were present when the ORLYVAL automatic shuttle service was introduced in 1991 and from the very beginnings of the CDG Express link; and when it came to optimising the operation of platforms, we were notably involved in the transformation of Terminal 2B at Paris-CDG.

Our work is not limited to transport. We are also working on the decarbonisation of airport terminals and technical facilities, with feasibility studies for the installation of photovoltaic panels on buildings.

The latest major achievement is the opening of the Orly station on lines 14 and 18 of the Grand Paris project and its P3 car park, at the very heart of the airport hub, designed and built in record time for the summer 2024 sporting events.

* These shuttles are also known as APMs, for Automated People Mover, and are fully automatic metros.