L’an 2030 : renovation projects, extension and modernization of airport infrastructure are carried out. Connectivity on the Indian Ocean, especially, benefit from easy connections. Launched by the company IndiGo on April 29, the connection between Reunion and South India enters its fourth year. And the airport can pride itself on being one of the first in the world with positive energy.
Chairman of the board of directors of La Réunion Roland Garros airport, Thomas Dubus took office in September 2025. Among his first decisions, he created within the company an “aeronautical development department” to which are entrusted with the “strategic missions” of analysis and development of the aeronautical market, the commercial promotion of the airport to airlines and the improvement of connectivity, direct and indirect, from the island to the world. “These missions were obviously already assured, but in a disparate way. The aeronautical development function coordinates everything”, observes Thomas Dubus before explaining that he is leading “a strategy of seduction towards companies by highlighting the strengths of the airport and the Réunion destination”. Objective? Increasing connectivity in Réunion. The opening at the end of April of a regular line connecting southern India (Chennai) in the meeting, by the Indian low-cost airline IndiGo, should be included in this strategy. The capital of Tamil Nadu is one of the main hubs of IndiGo, which from this base serves 16 destinations across India, dont Mumbai et New Delhi.
Three years of work to convince IndiGo
“The arrival of IndiGo in Reunion is the result of three years of work”, specifies Thomas Dubus. “Our team largely contributed to convincing the main Indian airline of the tourist potential of the Reunion area and the quality of our airport infrastructure.. We were thus able to format this new line so that it did not weaken other companies and services. » Operating more than 400 aircraft, IndiGo has ordered 600 more, which will make it one of the largest airlines in the world. This considerable growth accompanies the rise of the Indian middle class. It opens Réunion to a non-French-speaking tourist clientele. Requested by the Reunion Tamil community and its more than 300,000 inhabitants, it also has a geopolitical character in the framework of cooperation between France and India.
An international ambition
Are other aerial developments of the same order possible? ? “East Africa and Asia offer prospects for strengthening beyond the connections already in place”, note Thomas Dubus. However, Reunion and its airport remain dependent on the historical components of its market : the metropolis (59% in 2025) and the nearby Indian Ocean (38% between Mauritius, Mayotte and Madagascar). “A change has been initiated, first with the Bangkok line, and now with the connection with India. But the change of scale is not yet accomplished. And this is why Reunion Roland Garros airport is giving itself the means to achieve this ambition by modernizing its infrastructure., on the one hand to develop the connectivity of Air Austral’s Indian Ocean hub, on the other hand to improve the customer experience of travelers”, explains Thomas Dubus.
Upgrading the airport
A first step was taken in 2024 with the new terminal arriving, whose architectural signature and bioclimatic design have an international resonance *. The project to renovate and extend the departure terminal will be another, with reduced queues, a smoother passenger journey, an expanded commercial space. Between the two terminals, a “pivot” building will centralize control operations and connections. In addition, the airport aims for energy autonomy by 2030. He intends to achieve this by several means. First, its solar power plants : mainly a photovoltaic station with an area of more than 10 hectares which will be developed at the end of the runway. Ensuite, better control of your energy consumption, enabled by the storage of electricity in the form of hydrogen. Finally, thanks to the marine air conditioning of all airport buildings with the SWAC process. The Réunion Roland Garros airport would thus be one of the first in the world to operate with total 100% renewable energy autonomy.. There is no doubt that this performance will strengthen its international image of eco-responsibility..
* This achievement was awarded an award in September 2025 at the ACI World Technology Innovation Awards, the International Airports Council and recognized as part of the Versailles Prize awarded by UNESCO.
