Air France to wind down Orly operations by 2026

Air France has announced this Wednesday (18) it is to wind down its operations in Orly, Paris’ second-largest airport, by Summer 2026. The move was announced by the airline citing a «structural fall in demand» across its «domestic point-to-point network», according to a press release.

While Air France’s main base is in Paris’ most important airport, Charles de Gaulle, it still holds a sizeable presence in Orly, mostly with domestic flights. The airline says domestic traffic from the latter fell by 40% from 2019 to 2023, with one-day roundtrips — usually made by high-yielding corporate travelers — falling by 60%.

Among the reasons for the drop, the airline cited «the growth of videoconferencing, the reduction of domestic business trips and the shift to trains (under the effect of the [government] sobriety recommendations and businesses’ ESG policies)».

The sole exception to this reduction, the press release continues, would be the airline’s public service obligation (PSO) services to Corsica, provided that it has the winning bid for the 2024-2027 period. A decision is expected by November, according to Corse Matin newspaper.

Transavia France — Air France-KLM’s low-cost unit — would become the group’s «reference operator» in Orly. This would include a level of service between the airport and Marseille, Nice and Toulouse.

With the move, Air France would shift most of its Orly operations to Charles de Gaulle. The group’s operations from Paris to Marseille, Nice and Toulouse would be kept at 90% of the current level, while operations to the «Outre-mer», France’s overseas territories, are to be maintained at 100%.

Consultation with worker’s representatives is to start soon, with the move towards Transavia in Orly also expected to be included in the talks. Air France expects to be able to transfer its Orly employees to positions in Charles de Gaulle. As for the French regional destinations, the airline expects the «limited» job impact to be absorbed by voluntary transfers and resignations.