François Hollande opens Mayotte Airport's new terminal operated by SNC-Lavalin

MONTREAL, Aug. 23, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - SNC-Lavalin (TSX: SNC) is pleased to announce that François Hollande, the President of France, officially opened Mayotte Airport's new terminal alongside Youssef Sabeh, Senior Vice-President Operations & Maintenance, Europe, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. on August 23. The new terminal was designed and built by SNC-Lavalin, which has also operated the Airport since 2011.

The terminal successfully welcomed its first passengers on May 15, following 18 months of construction carried out by SNC-Lavalin. Designed to accommodate 600,000 passengers per year, the facility can be further expanded to accommodate up to 1.2 million passengers in the future.

After visiting the new terminal, François Hollande toured the Airport's offices, where he met young employees hired through the "Future Jobs" plan, a French Government initiative designed to allow ineligible or less qualified 16-25 year olds to benefit from a first professional learning experience. SNC-Lavalin recruited three local Mahoran youths for the project via the initiative.

SNC-Lavalin's construction of the terminal and management of the Airport have allowed the company to contribute to local employment in Mayotte. The Airport generates about 250 direct and indirect jobs each year. Over 90 subcontractors were hired for the construction of the terminal, which required 250,000 hours of work. Approximately 60% of the labour was performed by Mahoran companies.

Over the last decade, SNC-Lavalin has become a trusted partner of various local governments in France, and now manages 15 regional airports in the country, as well as the Malta airport.

"SNC-Lavalin has been working with French public authorities on major transportation, social infrastructure and urban planning projects for over two decades," said Youssef Sabeh. "Our ability to develop airports and manage them sustainably contributes significantly to improving the accessibility and appeal of regions. We are also committed to community development and make a point of hiring local sub-contractors and implementing professional job-training programs for youths."

Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is one of the leading engineering and construction groups in the world and a major player in the ownership of infrastructure. From offices in over 50 countries, SNC-Lavalin's 45,000 employees provide EPC and EPCM services to clients in a variety of industry sectors, including mining and metallurgy, oil and gas, environment and water, infrastructure and clean power. SNC-Lavalin can also combine these services with its financing and operations and maintenance capabilities to provide complete end-to-end project solutions. www.snclavalin.com

SOURCE: SNC-Lavalin