A French court has rejected a claim of nearly EUR 1.6 billion (US$ 1.7 billion) in damages made by Vinci about the cancellation of an airport project near Nantes.

Decades ago, plans were initiated for a new airport development to alleviate capacity constraints at Nantes Atlantique airport. The project, valued at EUR 580 million (US$ 616 million), was to be implemented through a public-private partnership and is scheduled for completion by 2017. However, following an extensive and impassioned campaign by environmental activists, the French government terminated the project in 2018.

Aeroport du Grand Ouest, the concessionaire for Nantes, primarily owned by Vinci, contested the cancellation through legal proceedings. On April 10, an administrative court determined that the government's decision to halt the airport project was justified.