The Expansive Paris Orly Airport: Size And Significance

Paris Orly Airport, also known as Orly, is a major international airport in France, located about 10-13km south of Paris. It is one of the two largest airports in France, the other being Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), which is located about 20-23km north of Paris. Orly Airport has two terminals, Orly South and Orly West, and primarily serves domestic and European flights, as well as some international destinations. The airport is easily accessible by Metro, tram, bus, taxi, and private transfer.

Terminals

Paris Orly Airport (ORY) is one of two international airports serving Paris, France, the other being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located in the south of Paris, and is closer but smaller than CDG. Paris Orly Airport is the second-largest airport in France.

Paris Orly Airport has four terminals: Orly 1, 2, 3, and 4. The former "Terminal Sud" (South) is now Terminal 4, and the former "Terminal Ouest" (West) is now Terminals 1, 2, and 3. All four terminals are connected and can be walked between in about 10 minutes. The Orlyval people mover also shuttles between the terminals for free.

The West Terminal (now Terminals 1, 2, and 3) has two floors and a gate area of four "fingers" rather than a brick-style layout. The ground level, or Level 0, features the arrivals facilities, including eight baggage reclaim belts and several service facilities and shops. The departures area is located on Level 1, which also has more stores and restaurants. The airside area and departure gates are on the upper level, Level 1. 15 of the terminal's departure gates are equipped with jet bridges, some of which can handle wide-body aircraft.

Transport links

Paris Orly Airport is located about 13km south of Paris. It is easily accessible by metro, train, bus, shuttle, tram, taxi, and private transfers.

Metro

The Paris Métro Line 14 links Orly Airport with central Paris and Saint-Denis. Trains run every 3-5 minutes, and the journey to Châtelet–Les Halles station takes 25 minutes. A full-fare single "Airports Ticket" costs €13 and allows you to transfer to other Metro, RER, or Transilien lines throughout Paris.

Train

The RER B train connects Orly Airport to Paris via the Orlyval shuttle train and Antony station. The Orlyval is free to use between the two stations at Orly, but a premium fare is charged between Antony and Orly Airport. The suburb of Antony is about 5 km from the airport.

Bus

There are two dedicated airport buses from Orly Airport to the centre of Paris. The OrlyBus is the most popular and cheapest service, connecting to the Paris Metro at Denfert-Rochereau station. Le Bus Direct goes further into the heart of Paris, stopping at Etoile (Champs-Elysees), Invalides (Eiffel Tower), and Gare Montparnasse.

Shuttle

The Orlyval shuttle train connects Orly Airport's four terminals. It also goes beyond the airport to the nearest RER train service at Antony.

Tram

Tramway T7 connects Orly Airport to Villejuif–Louis Aragon station on Paris Métro Line 7.

Taxi and Private Transfers

Taxi and private transfer options are also available from Orly Airport to Paris.

Passenger numbers

Paris Orly Airport is one of two international airports serving Paris, France, the other being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). Paris Orly Airport is located 13 km (8.1 miles) south of Paris. It is the second-largest airport in France and the 12th largest in Europe. Paris Orly Airport has two terminals, Orly 1-2-3-4, which is divided into four separate zones, each with its own arrivals and departures area. The airport served 33,123,027 passengers in 2024, making it the second busiest French airport in overall passenger traffic.

Paris Orly Airport is particularly attractive to passengers due to its easy access, range of destinations, human scale, and proximity to Paris. The airport served 156 cities in 2017 and offers a wide range of direct, medium and long-haul flights to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, and North America. The easy operating processes and compact size of Paris Orly Airport contribute to its appeal. The airport has an average taxiing time of less than six minutes, runways that are close to the terminals, and a smooth approach.

Upgrades to terminal infrastructure and airport services, as well as the economic and tourist appeal of the southern Île-de-France region, are expected to attract new direct air travel services. Paris Orly Airport is undergoing significant changes to address the shift in air travel and meet the needs of its customers. The extension of Hall 1 increases the terminal's capacity to 5.5 million passengers and improves the quality of service provided. The airport is also introducing a new baggage handling system that can process 2,500 bags per hour and provide comprehensive tracking of each item using OCR recognition, reducing waiting times in baggage reclaim.

Paris Orly Airport is well-connected to the city of Paris. Paris Métro Line 14 links the airport with central Paris and Saint-Denis, with a journey time of 25 minutes to Châtelet–Les Halles station. Tramway T7 connects to Terminal 4 and offers service to Villejuif–Louis Aragon station on Paris Métro Line 7. The Orlyval people mover line connects the Orly terminals with Antony station, served by the RER B line. From 2027, the Aéroport d'Orly station will also be served by Line 18, connecting the airport to Massy-Palaiseau and Paris-Saclay.

Location

Paris Orly Airport, also known as Orly, is located about 10-13 kilometres south of Paris, France. It is one of the two largest airports in France, the other being Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) located about 20-23 kilometres northeast of Paris. Paris Orly Airport is situated in the communes of Paray-Vieille-Poste, Wissous, Athis-Mons, Chilly-Mazarin, and Morangis in the Essonne département, and Villeneuve-le-Roi and Orly in the Val-de-Marne département. The airport is easily accessible by various means of transportation, including car, taxi, metro, bus, tram, and train.

Paris Orly Airport is well-connected to the city centre of Paris by Metro line 14, which takes approximately 21 minutes to Gare de Lyon and 25 minutes to Châtelet-Les Halles. The Orlyval people mover also provides a connection between the airport and Antony station, from where passengers can take the RER B train to the city centre. The journey from Antony to Denfert-Rochereau takes about 15 minutes, while the journey to Châtelet-Les Halles takes about 23 minutes.

In addition to the metro and train options, travellers can also take tram line T7 to Villejuif-Louis Aragon station and then transfer to Metro line 7, which takes about 20 minutes to reach the city centre. Bus services are also available, such as bus 183 to Robert Peary and then tram line T9 to Porte de Choisy. These transportation options offer flexible and convenient ways to travel between Paris Orly Airport and the city centre.

Paris Orly Airport is conveniently located for travellers staying in the south of Paris, while Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport is a more convenient option for those staying in the north. Paris Orly Airport primarily serves domestic and European flights, as well as some international destinations, making it a popular choice for travellers within Europe and those seeking a quicker and more streamlined airport experience.

History

Paris Orly Airport, originally known as Villeneuve-Orly Airport, is located in the southern suburbs of Paris, close to the city centre and outlying districts, such as Choisy-le-Roi, Versailles, and Vitry-sur-Seine. The airport covers 15.3 square kilometres (5.9 square miles) of land and is spread across two départements and seven communes.

The facility was opened in 1932 as a secondary airport to Le Bourget. Before this, two huge airship hangars were built by the engineer Eugène Freyssinet from 1923 onwards. During World War II, Orly Airport was used by the German Luftwaffe as a combat airfield and suffered significant bomb damage. After the Battle of Normandy and the retreat of German forces from Paris in August 1944, the airport was partially repaired by the US Army and served as a tactical airfield for the Ninth Air Force. In March 1947, control of the airport was returned to the French government.

Post-war, the airport began to expand rapidly. A new 2,100-metre runway, Orly's third, was built in 1947, and in 1952, Air France made Orly its hub, resulting in a significant increase in passenger traffic. In 1958, the world's first medium-range jet airliner, the Sud Aviation Caravelle, was introduced at Orly. The airport continued to expand, with the construction of the west terminal beginning in 1968. In 1969, the first jumbo jet, a Pan Am Boeing 747, landed at Orly, and the south terminal alone served nine million passengers annually.

In 1971, the west terminal opened, and in 1987, a high-tech business park was built. In 1991, a rapid transit train system, Orlyval, was introduced to connect the airport with the Paris Métro, providing easy transport between the terminals. In 1993, a new hall was opened to accommodate wide-body aircraft. In 2012, a development project was approved to merge the south and west terminals into one large terminal. However, in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport was temporarily closed to all commercial traffic, with flights being redirected to Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Frequently asked questions