Aéroports de Paris (ADP): Best Airports Leadership Europe 2021

Aéroports de Paris (ADP) has responded quickly to the unprecedented challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic to the global air transport industry. The company, a world leader in airport design, construction and operation, runs a network of 28 airports, employs 26,000 people, and handles 230 million passengers in a normal year. The ADP ethos has always been that airports should be run like hotels – that hospitality and comfort are essential requirements for passengers who spend an average of three hours in every airport visit. The company believes travellers should never feel anxious – which is why ADP reacted quickly to the crisis, ensuring the safety of passengers and staff was its top priority. Cleaning operations were tightened, sanitisers installed, and thermal imaging cameras and screening stations were set up in Arrivals. ADP worked closely with health officials, implementing the protocols of the European Aviation Safety Agency, re-establishing passenger confidence. Throughout the pandemic ADP has striven to maintain its position at the forefront of the drive towards sustainability, recognising that the challenges of ecological and health concerns are changing attitudes. The group is determined to win the trust of passengers by ensuring safe travel environments, while accelerating the transition to low-carbon aviation. ADP has, for instance, remodelled plans for a Charles de Gaulle airport project, aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, introducing new capabilities to handle hydrogen-powered aircraft, and catering for the need for alternative fuels. The judging panel is pleased, in 2021, to present ADP with the award, Best Airports Leadership Europe.