The French flag carrier Air France has completed a major operational shift and, as of the end of March 2026, no longer operates flights from Paris Orly Airport. The final departure from Orly took place just ahead of the start of the summer schedule, symbolically closing an 80-year chapter in the airline’s network.
All domestic and international flights are now consolidated at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, which has long served as the airline’s primary global hub. Over time, Orly had diminished in importance, particularly as it was increasingly used for domestic routes, services to French overseas territories, and selected destinations in Africa.
Despite Air France’s withdrawal, the Air France-KLM Group maintains a presence at Orly. Low-cost carrier Transavia is taking on a central role, continuing to expand its operations with planned fleet growth based on the Airbus A320neo. In addition, Transavia will take over the existing airport lounge, while the Flying Blue program is introducing additional benefits for passengers using flights from Orly.
It is important to note that both Paris airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, operate under the same management group, Groupe ADP. As such, this move should not be viewed as a loss of traffic for one airport in the traditional sense, but rather as a strategic redistribution within a single system. Higher-yield and connecting traffic is being concentrated at Charles de Gaulle, while Orly is increasingly positioned toward the leisure and low-cost segment.
The decision to leave Orly stems from a combination of market and regulatory factors. France has introduced restrictions on domestic air routes where a rail alternative of under four hours exists, which has particularly impacted traffic from Orly. At the same time, demand patterns have shifted: between 2019 and 2023, domestic traffic from the airport declined by around 40%, while demand for same-day business travel dropped by as much as 60%.
Under these conditions, consolidating operations at a single major hub has proven to be a logical move. Centralization at Charles de Gaulle enables stronger connectivity and more efficient network management, while Orly evolves into a base for lower-cost operations within the same group structure.
A similar model is already used by other European airlines, where premium and long-haul traffic is concentrated at primary hubs, while secondary airports are utilized by lower-cost subsidiaries.
With this move, Air France completes a transition first announced in 2023 and clearly defines its future strategy: a strong focus on a single main hub, alongside the parallel development of a low-cost segment within its group.
