Vinci Concessions’ subsidiary VINCI Airports has opened a new base for British airline easyJet and unveiled an in-airport solar plant at Faro Airport (FAO), Portugal.

VINCI Airports delivered a modernisation programme at FAO, which involved $40m (€32.8m).

Opened in collaboration with easyJet and the Portuguese tourism authorities, the new base is expected to facilitate the launch of new routes in Faro.

Said to be the first in-airport plant in Portugal, FAO’s solar plant has been financed, developed and built by VINCI Airports .

With the operations to start next year, it will be managed by VINCI Airports through its photovoltaic subsidiary SunMind.

It will fulfil nearly 30% of FAO’s electricity needs with a capacity of 3MWp, resulting in controlling more than 1,500tpa of CO₂.

In a statement, VINCI Airports said: “By choosing Faro as the first in-airport solar plant in Portugal, VINCI Airports takes a new step towards the realisation of its environmental action plan in the Algarve region.”

The solar plant has been introduced as part of a global action plan framed by VINCI Airports for all its 45 airports in 12 nations.

VINCI Airports stated that parallel projects are already deployed or in development in the Dominican Republic, Serbia, Sweden, Brazil, the UK and France.

Furthermore, it is planning to form partnerships with local environmental organisations, including the Center for Marine Sciences of the University of Algarve, for promoting knowledge on the region’s fauna and flora.

VINCI Airports has already attained a -13% drop in CO₂ emissions of the country’s airports network between 2018 and 2020.

In April, VINCI Airports secured a 30-year concession contract for seven airports in north Brazil.