Jet Blast Area - Paris Orly

Paris Orly is the second biggest airport in France, and one of the major hubs in Europe. It has a long-standing history as one of the first airports in the world.

Port-Aviation is regarded as the world’s first organized aerodrome, the first air harbor of the city of Paris, and the ancestor of today’s Orly Airport. From its inauguration on May 23, 1909, until its closure in 1919, many of the great names of early aviation proved themselves there. Numerous pilots were trained by flying schools on the field, particularly during the First World War (1914–1918), when the site was requisitioned successively by the French, Portuguese, Belgian armed forces and later the American army. After WW1, Orly airfield serves for the French Navy, which operates hot-air baloons from there. In 1919, a civilian part is opened, and is used mostly by pilot schools and for air shows. During WW2, the Luftwaffe occupies the airport, which is bombed by the Allied and taken back by the US Army Air Forces in 1944. The Americans handed over management of the airport to France in 1946, with the creation of Aéroports de Paris, still managing all the airports in the parisian region nowadays.

In 1950, the last air show was held at the site. But from that time onward, the need for a new civilian airport near Paris gave need to the development and establishment of the dominance of civilian activity. Air France left Le Bourget Airport for Orly in 1952. Le Bourget Airport took over the air show, which has since become the famous Paris Air Show. That year, with 1.2 million passengers, Orly was already handling twice as many passengers as Paris-Le Bourget Airport. The naval era definitively ended on March 1, 1954. Orly then became a fully civilian airport.

South Terminal was inaugurated in 1961 by Charles de Gaulle, then president. In the following years, building became a popular destination for tourists who came to spend their "Sunday at Orly". Numerous shops within the terminal, attracted both tourists and locals. The South Terminal was then a symbol of luxury and modernity, a showcase of France, which continued to inspire dreams. Even the biggest stars were sometimes spotted there, posing for photographs. In 1963, more than three million non-passenger visitors came, making this terminal the most visited monument in France, surpassing the Eiffel Tower. The number of tourists even reached four million in 1965.

Traffic growth was such that the South Terminal handled six million passengers in 1965 and nine million in 1969, 150% of its theoretical capacity. In 1966, a new control tower was inaugurated at Orly, still in operation in 2026. At the same time, a new runway, known as "Runway 4," was built. Furthermore, the relocation of the international market to Rungis boosted freight activity. However, the rapid urbanization of the Parisian suburbs was already making coexistence between residents and the airport difficult. A nighttime curfew from 11:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. was implemented in April 1968 by ministerial decree and is still in use today. The construction of the West terminal, was launched in 1967. It entered service on February 26, 1971, after 40 months of work.

Following the merging of the former South and West terminals in 2019, traffic is distributed across the four new terminals as follows:

Orly 1 and 2: domestic and Schengen traffic

Orly 3: Schengen and international traffic

Orly 4: international traffic

La Compagnie - Airbus A321neo | F-HNCO

Corsair International - Airbus A330-900neo | F-HRNB

Air Belgium - Airbus A330-200 | OE-LAC

TAP Portugal - Airbus A321neo | CS-TJO

Air Mauritius - Airbus A330-900neo | 3B-NBU

Air Caraïbes Atlantique - Airbus A350-1000XWB | F-HTOO

Iberojet - Airbus A330-900neo | CS-TKH

Air France - Boeing 777-300ER | F-GZNF

Azul Linhas Aéreas - Airbus A330-200 | PR-AIV

VietJet Air (ex Corsair) - Airbus A330-300 | F-HZEN

USC Aero - Airbus A340-300 | D-AUSC

Egypt Air Force - Ilyushin Il-76MF | SU-BTX

TAP Portugal 'Retro livery' - Airbus A321neo | CS-TJR

Aigle Azur - Airbus A330-200 | F-HTIC

Royal Air Maroc - Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | CN-RGY

Air Caraïbes Atlantique - Airbus A350-900XWB | F-HTRE

Azul Linhas Aéreas - Airbus A350-900XWB | PR-AOW

Corsair International - Airbus A330-900neo | F-HSKA

Corsair International - Boeing 747-400 final departure from Orly | F-HSEA

EasyJet - Airbus A320 | OE-INQ

French Bee - Airbus A350-900XWB | F-HREV

Corsair International - Boeing 747-400 | F-GTUI

Egypt Air Force - Ilyushin Il-76MF | SU-BTY

TAP Portugal - Airbus A330-900neo | CS-TUG

CAA Congo / HiFly Malta - Airbus A330-300 | 9H-HFI

Azul Linhas Aéreas - Airbus A330-900neo | PR-ANZ

During the 20th century, Orly airport was the main gateway to the world from Paris, with major airlines operating there. But since the development of Roissy CDG, Orly has undergone a clear operational shift, marked more recently by the rapid development of Transavia France, which has become the airport’s dominant airline. This evolution is further reinforced by the planned withdrawal of Air France from Orly in April 2026, a strategic move that will free up a significant number of slots, largely benefiting Transavia and consolidating Orly’s role as a leisure- and point-to-point-oriented platform. As a result, the airport is now overwhelmingly driven by domestic and European routes, with large bases operated by easyJet and Vueling, generating constant A320-family movements throughout the day. Orly also plays an important role in connecting France with North Africa, with a very dense network of flights to the Maghreb operated by Air Algérie, Royal Air Maroc, and Tunisair, which contribute significantly to the airport’s traffic mix and cultural connectivity. In parallel, Orly remains the main long-haul leisure gateway for France, hosting several French carriers based on site: Air Caraïbes, French Bee, Corsair, and La Compagnie, which operate services to the Caribbean, North America, and the Indian Ocean, bringing widebody operations into an otherwise narrowbody-dominated environment. Foreign long-haul airlines are rarer and mainly choose CDG as their French base. Nowadays, only Azul Linhas Aéreas operates summer long-haul flights from Brazil. Their two A350s, dedicated solely to the Saõ Paulo - Paris route, were retired due to difficulties to manage this small fleet.

Beyond flight operations, Orly is also an important maintenance and technical hub, supported by a large industrial zone located on the airport’s perimeter. This area hosts several major maintenance hangars, including facilities operated by Air France Industries, as well as dedicated hangars for Air Caraïbes, Corsair, and Transavia, allowing for line maintenance, heavy checks, and aircraft storage directly on site. These infrastructures are an integral part of Orly’s daily life, with aircraft regularly moving between the ramps and hangar zones outside peak passenger hours. This also allows aircraft photographers to see different airlines that are not regular operators, thanks to Corsair that specialized in A330neo maintenance and provided service and hangar to many airlines (Uganda, Air Mauritius, TAP Portugal, Sunclass for instance).

Finally, Orly holds a distinct position in VIP and state aviation, largely due to its exceptional proximity to Paris and the presence of the Pavillon d’Honneur, which was completely rebuilt nearly a decade ago. This modern facility regularly welcomes governmental flights, business jets, and diplomatic missions, offering discreet, secure, and rapid access to the capital—making Orly one of the preferred airports in France for high-level and VIP operations. For example, the platform is the preferred arrival airport for Air Force One each time it comes to Paris, such as during D-Day 80 commemorations (you can find Jet Blast Area's report about this event here).