Paris Orly Airport
Before the commissioning of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris Orly, code ORY, which is located 13km south of the city, was the busiest airport in France. It remains the busiest in terms of domestic flights and second for overall passenger numbers having carried over thirty-two million people in 2017.
More than thirty airlines operate out of Orly Airport serving diverse destinations in North America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
Terminals and Facilities
The airport has two terminal buildings named Terminal Sud (South) and Terminal Ouest (West).
The south terminal has six floors with the main passenger services on the first two. Arrivals are located on level 0 and departures on level 1. The boarding area is divided into two sections, halls A and B, with the departures gates of which fifteen have airbridges with direct access to the terminal.
The west terminal is on two levels with arrivals on level 0 and departures on level 1. There are four boarding areas, halls one to four, situated in the 'fingers' of the building. Twenty-three of the boarding gates are fitted with airbridges.
Both terminals have a good range of food and drink outlets with fast food, snack bars, restaurants and bars. There are also a number of shops, mostly in the boarding areas, selling a variety of goods.
In the arrivals and check-in halls, there are currency exchange desks, customer information points and lost and found. Free unlimited Wi-Fi is accessible in all areas of the airport.
Transport and Parking
There are eight car parks at Orly Airport, all of which offer ten minutes free parking, and there are drop off zones. The long-stay car parks, P4, P5 and P7, have a free shuttle bus service to the terminal and the short-stay are at varying distances, some a short walk and others with a transfer available.
The public transport links into Paris centre are very good from both terminals and connections can be made at the central stations.
- Train - Two train services and the tramway operate, with the train between the terminals being free.
- Bus - There are six bus routes to various destinations in the city, including one between Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports. The bus stops are close to the arrivals areas.
- Taxi - Taxi ranks can be found near to exit L of arrivals at the south terminal, and at exit B from the west terminal.
- Car Hire - The desks of the main car hire companies are located in the arrivals halls.
Airport History
When originally opened in the 1930s, Orly Airport was known as Villeneuve-Orly Airport and was secondary to Le Bourget Airport which was to the north-east of Paris.
During World War Two, the airport was used as a base by the occupying German forces. After the war, the American air force took it over and repaired much of the damage sustained in the conflict.
Control was returned to the French government in 1947 and the newly formed company, Aéroports de Paris, was given authority over Orly, Le Bourget and later, Paris-Nord.
In 1961, the new south terminal was opened by then French President, Charles de Gaulle. In the 1960s, after sustained growth in air traffic, it was decided to develop Paris-Nord Airport which would be renamed to Charles de Gaulle. Despite the development, Orly continued to grow and remains the second busiest French airport.