While Air France primarily operates out of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), the airline also has a limited network out of Paris Orly Airport (ORY). Generally Charles de Gaulle Airport is considered the more premium and global hub, while Orly Airport is closer to the city, and is more popular for leisure flights.
Air France has announced plans to more or less discontinue flights to Orly Airport by 2026, which is a pretty significant development.
In this post:
Air France wants to consolidate flights at Charles de Gaulle Airport
By the summer of 2026, Air France intends to operate all of its domestic and international flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, ending service from Paris Orly Airport. The one exception is that the airline would maintain a single flight from Paris Orly to Corsica, as per Public Service Order (PSO) guidelines.
For context, Air France’s service out of Orly Airport is currently primarily domestic, as well as to French overseas territories, and select destinations in Africa. Air France is promising to maintain current service levels to French overseas territories (out of Charles de Gaulle Airport rather than Orly Airport), and to maintain 90% of current capacity on routes to Marseille, Nice, and Toulouse.
The Air France-KLM Group wouldn’t abandon Orly Airport, though. Rather, we’d see low cost carrier Transavia continue to maintain operations at the airport, growing with its new fleet of Airbus A320neo aircraft. The airline would even take over some domestic routes currently served by Air France from Orly Airport, including to Nice, Marseille, and Toulouse.
It’s worth noting that this plan is subject to approval by employee work groups, so they’ll need to be onboard with the concept for this to work. Air France is promising that outstations wouldn’t see any involuntary job cuts, while every Air France employee currently working at Orly Airport would be guaranteed a job at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Air France’s justification for cutting Orly Airport
Historically Air France’s presence at Orly Airport has been focused primarily on short haul domestic flights, as well as leisure flights to French overseas territories. France recently banned domestic flights in markets that have train connections that can be covered in under four hours. This in particular had an impact on Orly Airport, which saw most of these services.
Air France also notes how business travel demand has shifted, and that between 2019 and 2023, traffic on domestic routes out of Orly Airport fell by 40%, and demand for day return trips fell by 60%.
When you combine all of these factors, it’s more efficient for Air France to just consolidate operations at one airport. Fortunately with Air France-KLM having a low cost carrier, the airline group can still have a presence at Orly Airport, just with a lower cost structure.
It’s not unlike British Airways’ strategy, as the airline has moved quite a few routes to London Heathrow Airport, while short haul flights out of London Gatwick Airport are exclusively operated with a subsidiary.
Bottom line
Air France has announced plans to cut service at Paris Orly Airport by mid-2026, with the exception of a single route to Corsica, which the airline has the obligation to maintain. The airline would consolidate operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, and then low cost carrier Transavia would increase service at Orly Airport. This seems like a sensible development for Air France, especially with France banning many domestic flights.
What do you make of Air France’s plans for Orly Airport?
I loved flying from JFK to Orly. It was such a warm welcome into Paris. You really immediately felt upon landing that you were in a more gentler time and made arriving in Paris all the more special. It is a shame this will no longer be.
Lucky, I suspect you may not have meant what the current wording implies, but BA doesn’t exclusively operate short haul flights out of Gatwick. They have a substantial long haul leisure presence at LGW. If what you meant is that all their LGW short haul flights are operated by a subsidiary, then that is obviously correct with the post-Covid changes they made.
Yes, BA has a lot of long haul flights out of LGW.
Ben never corrects his articles when he gets stuff wrong like this
If Orly is closer to the city then why is CDG considered the more premium airport? Seems like an opportunity to add flights from the highest yield business markets into Orly a la London City or Taipei Songshan.
CDG is much newer with significant room for expansion and 4 parallel runways. Air France simply couldn’t operate the volume of flights at ORY, despite the terminals there having been expanded space is limited.
It’s also on major rail routes, including the TGV and the new CDG express which is currently being built.
The travel time to the centre of Paris isn’t significantly different, although ORY is better for the south bank.
Because it’s not closer. Ben more and more just states stuff that’s false, maybe to appear knowledgeable, I don’t know… lots of stuff he says about Europe is just not true.
Takes the same amount of time to go to CDG and ORY from center of Paris, and CDG is more convenient as it’s a direct train
@ Charlie -- I didn't say it was faster, I said it was closer (geographically). Is that not true? If not, what part of central(ish) Paris is located closer to CDG than ORY?
Makes sense to consolidate. Only longhauls from Orly are Reunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Cayenne is transferring to CDG and others already operate from there.
Considering your Flyingblue benefits don't kick in on Transavia even when the ticket is a mix between AF/KL and Transavia, it highly limits the opportunities to use their low cost carrier.
Mixed bag here. Transavia France is more limited compared to the dutch arm. It is easier if you're a FB Elite Plus member. I've collected miles and had lounge access at AMS on HV flights.
Orly is a touch closer to central Paris, specifically if you're heading to the Left Bank. It has some advantages, but neither ORY nor CDG are particularly pleasant to transit through (O&D or to connect). But this all makes sense.
Whenever I see Transavia, I think Transylvania.
I'm hopeful this will make AF more accessible for flights from North America to Africa...currently, it's just easier to fly KLM and connect through AMS (or BA and connect through LHR, though it's typically more expensive) rather than fly into CDG and have to then schlep all the way across IDF to get to ORY for one's connection to Africa.
When I lived in Paris, I tried to avoid Orly: may be closer to...
I'm hopeful this will make AF more accessible for flights from North America to Africa...currently, it's just easier to fly KLM and connect through AMS (or BA and connect through LHR, though it's typically more expensive) rather than fly into CDG and have to then schlep all the way across IDF to get to ORY for one's connection to Africa.
When I lived in Paris, I tried to avoid Orly: may be closer to the city, but taking the RER and then getting on the navette was frustrating when you have lots of luggage or have to wait for the navette. With Roissy, you get on the RER and you get off the RER.
AF has no flights to africa from Orly with the exception of Algiers which also operates from CDG. The entire African network is from CDG.
Lol you have no idea what you talking about. The vast majority of AF flights to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia is from CDG.
Why the hell you’d go to ORY from CDG?
The vast majority of Africa flights are from cdg and Ralph was referring to connecting traffic. Cairo Dakar Lome Abuja Lagos Bamako Ouagadougou Kinshasa Luanda Johannesburg Brazzaville pointe noire Malabo and so forth are all from cdg
There are indeed flights to CMN TUN and ALG from Orly and those already operate from CDG. If you are flying for example from Chicago to Tunis it would be via CDG
And don’t tell me...
The vast majority of Africa flights are from cdg and Ralph was referring to connecting traffic. Cairo Dakar Lome Abuja Lagos Bamako Ouagadougou Kinshasa Luanda Johannesburg Brazzaville pointe noire Malabo and so forth are all from cdg
There are indeed flights to CMN TUN and ALG from Orly and those already operate from CDG. If you are flying for example from Chicago to Tunis it would be via CDG
And don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about as I know a lot more than you think. A LOT more.
I used to take the l’Avion and then the Openskies by BA’s flights from JFK/ EWR to ORY often during school holidays with my family often. The EWR to ORY were probably the easiest flights I’ve ever taken as the EWR terminal they were operating was empty as it was a later departure. It’s a shame AF never focused too much on NYC to ORY flights - I know they added a once-daily recently.