Toulon Hyères Airport has entrusted Citeos Toulon with the refurbishment of its runway lighting. This large-scale project came with the constraints inherent in working on an airport site.
© Quentin Evrard
VINCI Airports has been operating Toulon Hyères Airport under a public service delegation contract since 2015. This is a 25-year concession contract with the French government, represented by the French Civil Aviation Authority and the Armed Forces Ministry (Navy). Toulon Hyères is one of two French airports in mixed civil and military use.
Following on from this contract, VINCI Airports undertook the task of renovating and modernising the site’s two runways and light markers. This represents the largest investment in the airport since its construction in 1967, the aim being to add six new destinations: three domestic (Lille, Nantes and Strasbourg) and three international (Antwerp, Geneva and Southampton).
Within the consortium of VINCI business units formed to achieve this, TP Spada (VINCI Construction) was responsible for renovating the runways and gantry systems, and Citeos Toulon (VINCI Energies) refurbished the ground lighting systems.
Unique constraints in connection with the civil and military airport setting
“Our initial assignment was to manage the entire design phase for the ground lighting and informational light panels for aircraft,” says Edouard Mandin, the head of Citeos Toulon. “We then proceeded to the installation of around 400 ground lighting markers, a dozen indicators, including four PAPIs [precision approach path indicators], around 80 km of cables and connectors, and lastly, redundant loops to guarantee the electrical supply in the event of a blackout.”
Unique constraints
The airport site is hardly unfamiliar territory for Citeos Toulon. In 2016, the business unit was brought in to work on ground lighting in the military part of the airport, specifically the helicopter take-off and landing pads. But this new project is on another level, with a contract worth close to €2.5 million, equivalent to half their typical annual turnover.
The teams also had to adapt to some unique constraints in connection with the airport setting. “A special technique is required for fixing the lights to the ground, due to the high pressure caused by aircraft taking off and landing,” explains Edouard Mandin. “It’s a similar story with the energy loops, which require specialist surveying and equipment.”
Unique human experience
The business unit manager also highlights how this project yielded a wealth of learning experiences. “We had to implement a special methodology for the installation of such a huge quantity of cabling. In terms of project management, we had to take special care over the leadership structure and making sure enough people were available throughout the design phase.”
Added to this, the work took place during the Covid-19 pandemic. Edouard Mandin adds: “The human experience on this project, which at its height had a hundred people on site at the same time, including around 20 from Citeos Toulon, was definitely unusual.”
An environmental performance approach
In addition to the increased number of destinations now available from Toulon Hyères following the work by Citeos Toulon, the corporate aviation business has grown by 20% over the past seven years. This growth occurred alongside an ISO 14001-certified environmental performance strategy that included: the use of electric runway vehicles, electrical vehicle charging points installed for airport users, 100% LED lighting, zero pesticides used in the maintenance of green spaces, and plastics recycling.
04/17/2025
