Mayotte prepares its future airport with support from SYSTRA

Commissioned by the French Ministry of Transport, through the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) and the Air Transport Directorate (DTA), the assignment will run from 2026 to 2030 and will support the project from its preparation phase through to contract finalisation.

A long runway to secure air links

Included in the planning law for the rebuilding of Mayotte adopted in summer 2025, the future airport accounts for around 40% of the funds allocated under this law to the territory’s priority investments. Located on the proposed Bouyouni M’Tsangamouji site, in the northwest of Grande-Terre, it is intended to provide the archipelago with a long runway suitable for long-haul flights and pave the way for more direct connections with mainland France and international destinations.

The stakes are high for Mayotte. The current Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi airport, located on Petite-Terre, has a runway that is too short to allow wide-body aircraft to take off at full load, requiring technical stopovers in Kenya and extending journey times. Since the emergence in 2018 of an underwater volcano 50 km from Petite-Terre, the island has experienced 400 micro-earthquakes per month and has subsided by 19 cm, according to the French Geological Survey (BRGM). These developments further reinforce the need to prepare an airport facility that is sustainably adapted to the territory’s needs.

Long considered, the extension of the existing airport was ultimately ruled out because of geological, urban, environmental and operational constraints. The choice of Bouyouni M’Tsangamouji, on Grande-Terre, would allow the future infrastructure to be developed on a less exposed site. It is estimated to cost around one sixth of an extension to the current platform, while also reducing the environmental footprint.

A four-year support assignment

The AMOT assignment entrusted to the consortium is intended to support and secure the project’s next stages. SYSTRA France will first contribute to the technical framing of the contractual structure, helping the project owner clarify the key choices, interfaces, overall project schedule and conditions for project implementation.

The teams will also work on the preliminary technical analyses required to prepare the operation. This work will help inform the project programme considering its environmental, landscape, urban and airport-related challenges, as well as issues related to the circular economy, reuse and recovery of materials, accommodation needs and aviation fuel supply.

The agricultural component will receive specific support, including coordination of a monitoring committee, dialogue with farm operators, preparation of baseline assessments and assistance with the relocation of the affected farms. It will also include defining compensation measures, future facilities and collective compensation arrangements to be submitted to the competent authorities.

Another component will focus on the current Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi airport. The consortium will carry out an assessment of the existing platform to identify the adjustments needed to maintain continuity of service until the new facility enters operation.

Finally, SYSTRA France will support the future tendering procedures, whether for a concession contract or a design-build contract. The assignment will cover preparation of the tender documents, technical analysis of bids, support for juries and negotiations, and then the finalisation of contracts.

The first preparatory works are expected to begin in 2027. The new airport is scheduled to welcome its first passengers by 2036.

Our ambition is to provide the State with high-level technical project owner support, capable of combining strategic vision, operational excellence, local roots and risk management to turn this public ambition into a tangible reality.

Sébastien Mercier, Project Director for the Indian Ocean, SYSTRA France

A structured local presence in the Indian Ocean

Since opening its office on Réunion Island, another French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean, SYSTRA France has gradually strengthened its foothold across the region. Opened in 2023, the office now has six permanent staff members based in Saint-Paul and Saint-Pierre.

This local presence makes it possible to cover a broad range of assignments, including mobility studies, transport economics, infrastructure project management, regulatory procedures, project delivery support, scheduling, coordination and supervision, public consultation, and support for contracting authorities. It also relies on a network of local partners, mobilised according to the needs of each project.