Philippe Rainville, CEO Aéroports de Montréal, interviewed by Marta Dimitrova.
Montréal is undeniably a leading capital of avant-garde culture and has a diverse culinary scene. In fact, Canada’s second-largest city is the North American destination with the highest number of restaurants per capita. The city’s vibrant creativity is, indeed, reflected in the airport’s commercial approach.
Philippe Rainville, CEO Aéroports de Montréal: “We wanted to infuse our airport facilities with a typically Montréal character, while creating an atmosphere that is both pleasant and festive, even playful.”
Philippe Rainville was appointed President and CEO of Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) in November 2016 and officially started in the role on 1 January 2017. His career with ADM began in 2008, in the position of Vice-President, Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer. In 2014 he became Vice-President, Planning, Engineering and Construction, where he was responsible for the management and execution of ADM’s capital projects. “I’m very pleased to take on the challenge along with all ADM employees,” says Rainville.
In May 2016, ADM inaugurated €313 million worth of expansion and improvements at Montréal-Trudeau. The new facilities include an extension of the international jetty, which has significantly increased the capacity of its international services and enhanced the customer experience.
8% duty free growth
“Overall, 2016 was a good year in terms of the travel retail business. Duty free generated revenue growth of 8%,” explains Rainville. “During 2016, three new stores were opened: an upscale fashion store, a Victoria’s Secret, and an express store situated within the expansion of the international pier. The retail site posted double-digit growth of 15% – an increase largely driven by new retail concepts.”
One of the main aims of this expansion project was to create commercial areas which truly reflect Montréal’s cultural scene. The main innovation is the development of an interior open-plan area designed to create a unique atmosphere through the integration of artistic and cultural elements, including a lighted ceiling installation – Nuée de verre (Veil of Glass) – composed of different-coloured glass triangles illuminated by spotlights. There are also large avant-garde murals created by local artists, showcases dedicated to Montréal’s main museums, and a children’s playground inspired by Minimaniacs, the new comic-book series by local artist Tristan Demers.
The main innovation is the development of an interior open-plan area designed to create a unique atmosphere through the integration of artistic and cultural elements, including a lighted ceiling installation – Nuée de verre (Veil of Glass) – composed of different-coloured glass triangles illuminated by spotlights.
“We wanted to infuse our airport facilities with a typically Montréal character, while creating an atmosphere that is both pleasant and festive, even playful,” Rainville comments. “In selecting new commercial tenants, emphasis was placed on local brands that are well-known in Montréal and Québec. The variety of restaurants helps our airport to truly stand out and become a destination in itself. To achieve this, we brought architects, designers and artists around the same drawing board so that the functional elements, waiting areas, playground and shops, as well as artistic and cultural elements, were conceived and organised in an integrated manner to form a coherent whole. We believe we can say ‘mission accomplished’.”
The jetty is a cornerstone of ADM’s strategy to attract more international traffic to Montréal-Trudeau and transform it into an important global transportation hub. “Our international passenger traffic has already grown by an average of nearly 10% a year over the past decade – nearly double the rate of increase for domestic and transborder traffic. In 2016, we reached 16.6 million passengers, and we expect 20 million in 2020,” Rainville concludes.
