VINCI Airports has marked the start of Terminal 2 works at Lyon-Saint Exupéry with a foundation stone ceremony, as part of a seven-year investment programme.
VINCI Airports has launched a major modernisation project for Terminal 2 at Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS), marking the start of works with a foundation stone ceremony. The redesigned terminal is intended to improve passenger experience, operational efficiency and energy performance.
The ceremony was attended by Philippe Tabarot, Minister for Transport, Fabrice Pannekoucke, President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, and Nicolas Notebaert, Chief Executive Officer of Concessions at VINCI and President of VINCI Airports.
Terminal 2 extension and security upgrade
The project includes a 9,500 m² extension and the modernisation of 12,000 m² of existing space. It will incorporate a next-generation security screening area, similar to the one due to be deployed at Terminal 1 for summer 2027, alongside new retail and leisure areas. The bus station will also be expanded to improve intermodal connections and accommodate more buses, particularly services connecting to the Alps. Terminal 2 is scheduled to open by 2029.
The scheme forms part of an investment programme of more than €380 million over seven years, led by the shareholders of Aéroports de Lyon. The programme is contingent on the signing of an economic regulation agreement with the French government by spring 2027.
Operational improvements are also planned. The new terminal will provide optimised handling of oversized baggage, such as skis and bicycles, to support growth in mountain traffic in winter and summer, as well as greater flexibility in the use of aircraft parking positions.
A major energy-efficiency refurbishment will form part of the works, reducing the terminal’s carbon footprint. The project sits within the airport’s decarbonisation trajectory. Lyon-Saint Exupéry was the sixth airport in the world to achieve Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) Level 5, the highest level of the programme, which recognises net zero carbon emissions from an airport’s direct emissions and a commitment to decarbonising the wider aviation ecosystem.
The project comes 50 years after the airport opened and three years before the 2030 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. As the gateway to the French Alps, Lyon-Saint Exupéry is expected to play a central role in transporting delegations, spectators and international tourists. The new terminal is intended to support regional tourism and economic development.
VINCI Airports said the foundation stone laying reflects the collective mobilisation of Aéroports de Lyon’s public and private shareholders. The project is backed by the State, local authorities, the Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne Chamber of Commerce and Industry, VINCI Airports and its partners Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations and Crédit Agricole Assurances.
Notebaert said: “At VINCI Airports, we support local communities over the long term by investing in the transformation of the airports we operate and preparing for their future. The future Terminal 2 illustrates this ambition, shared with all our public and private partners: to sustainably strengthen Lyon-Saint Exupéry’s role in serving the connectivity and attractiveness of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is essential that we, together with the government, create the conditions to fully mobilise our investment capacity to continue modernising the airport and supporting the region’s economic and tourism development.”
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