Paris Orly Airport

History of Paris Orly Airport

Just as it now plays second fiddle to nearby Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly was originally built as a secondary terminal for Paris, after Le Bourget, back in 1932.

After nearly a decade of being used for commercial aviation, the airport was taken over by the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War, thereby making it a prime target for Allied bombers.

Patched up once hostilities had ceased, Orly was then briefly used as a base for the US Air Force, before being returned to the French government in 1948.

From this year until the construction of Charles de Gaulle in 1974, the airport was France's busiest, though thanks to the rise in cheap flights, it remains the country's second biggest, while also handling the greatest level of domestic traffic.

Travelling to Paris Orly Airport

Located south of the French capital, the second airport of Paris is well connected to the city centre, though travelling to and from the terminals takes a relatively long time.

The easiest way to the airport is by the Paris RER system, with both the west and south terminals connected by the efficient B Line, while passengers arriving by another method are also able to use the train between the two terminals free of charge.

Other useful connections include the coaches operated by Air France, as well as a special Jetbus which connects to the Villejuif-Louis Aragon station, which is on Line 7 of the Paris Metro system.

For those travellers with early or late-night flights, numerous hotels are available in the surrounding Villenueve-le-Roi suburb of the city.

Airlines Flying From Orly

Unsurprisingly, since Orly handles more domestic traffic than CDG airport, the French national carrier Air France offers the greatest number of services.

As well as direct internal connections to cities such as Biarritz, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Montpellier and Toulouse, the airline also offers a number of international flights, including services to Algiers, Marrakech and Rodez.

Another major player at Orly, Corsairfly, operates more short and long-haul routes, including those to Casablanca, Montreal, Havana and Tel Aviv.

Alongside numerous national carriers such as British Airways, Iran Air and Air Malta, numerous low-cost airlines fly from the Paris airport, most notably easyJet, which flies to cities including Athens, Barcelona, Madrid and Milan, and SkyEurope, which flies east to Bratislava, Prague and Vienna.