Air France will discontinue flights to Paris Orly in 2026.

26 Oct, 2023

Air France will discontinue flights to Paris Orly in 2026.

Air France has disclosed its intention to discontinue nearly all of its flights departing from Paris Orly Airport (ORY) by the summer of 2026, primarily in response to the dwindling demand for domestic air travel.

The French national carrier cited multiple factors driving this decision, including the remarkable surge in business clientele's use of videoconferencing in recent years. This surge has significantly reduced the demand for domestic corporate travel. Additionally, the growing preference for domestic rail travel in France, compounded by the French government's recent policy adjustments aimed at combatting climate change, has played a pivotal role.

Air France stated, "The rise of videoconferencing, the drop in domestic business travel, and the growing shift toward rail (under the combined effect of government sobriety recommendations and corporate CSR policies) are causing a substantial decline in demand within Air France's domestic point-to-point network.”

According to Air France, passenger numbers on domestic routes originating from Paris Orly plummeted by approximately 40% between 2019 and 2023. This decline was even more pronounced, reaching about 60%, for single-day return trips. These statistics underscore the more significant impact felt by domestic business travel compared to leisure travel.

Until 2026, Air France will continue to operate flights from Paris Orly to destinations such as Toulouse (TLS), Marseille (MRS), Nice (NCE), and various French Overseas territories, including Pointe-à-Pitre (PTP), Fort-de-France (FDF), Saint-Denis de la Réunion (RUN), and Cayenne (CAY).

In the interim, the airline plans to expand the number of flights to these destinations from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), effectively centralizing all its Paris operations at the capital's principal airport.

One notable exception to this transition will be flights from Paris Orly to the island of Corsica, which will continue to be served by Air France beyond 2026 due to the airline's shared commitment with Air Corsica to renew a Public Service Order (PSO) in 2024. Air France's low-cost subsidiary, Transavia, will also persist in operating from Paris Orly after 2026. Air France attributes this decision, in part, to Transavia's expanding fleet of Airbus A320neo aircraft, which offer a 15% reduction in CO₂ emissions and a 50% decrease in noise pollution.

The Air France Group pledges to uphold 90% of its capacity on routes between Paris and Toulouse, Marseille, and Nice. Concurrently, capacity between Paris and French Overseas territories will remain unchanged. The Group assures employees that the impact on jobs at affected domestic airports will be minimal.

This announcement comes less than six months after the French government prohibited certain short-haul domestic flights. In May 2023, any short-haul domestic routes efficiently served by high-speed rail alternatives were officially banned in France, aiming to promote rail travel and reduce carbon emissions.

The domestic aviation sector could experience further regulatory restrictions following this contentious decision. The French Minister of Transport has recently proposed the introduction of a minimum price for domestic airline tickets, which, if enacted, would have a profound impact on low-cost carriers in France. Nevertheless, a definitive decision regarding this issue is still pending.