close_game
close_game

Air France plans to abandon Paris Orly Airport amid sharp drop in domestic flights

Bloomberg | | Posted by Zarafshan Shiraz
Oct 18, 2023 03:46 PM IST

Air traffic on domestic routes out of Paris-Orly is down by 40% and even by 60% for one-day return trips. More people are also switching to trains

Air France plans to retreat from the Paris Orly airport in coming years from where the carrier connects the capital with the country’s south, responding to a sharp drop in domestic flights as people switch increasingly to videoconferencing and rail travel.

Air France plans to abandon Paris Orly Airport amid sharp drop in domestic flights (Photo by STEFANO RELLANDINI / AFP)
Air France plans to abandon Paris Orly Airport amid sharp drop in domestic flights (Photo by STEFANO RELLANDINI / AFP)

The airline, part of the Air France-KLM group, will complete the move to the bigger Roissy-Charles de Gaulle hub by 2026 and will continue to serve Toulouse, Marseille and Nice, as well as the French Overseas departments from Orly until then, it said in a statement. The group’s low-cost Transavia airline will continue operating from Orly, Air France-KLM said.

Travel behaviour within France has changed fundamentally in recent years, accelerated by the pandemic that crimped corporate trips and gave rise to conference calls that have often replaced personal meetings. Air traffic on domestic routes out of Paris-Orly is down by 40% and even by 60% for one-day return trips, according to the company. More people are also switching to trains, given that France’s high-speed network offers a competitive mode of transport to air travel.

Air France will present the plan to labor unions on Wednesday. A media representative for Aeroports de Paris, which operates both Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, didn’t immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

The airline will continue to serve the Mediterranean island of Corsica, which belongs to France, from Orly to honor public-service commitments, Air France said

Charles de Gaulle airport, which is 25 kilometers (16 miles) north of Paris, welcomed 76.2 million passengers in 2019, according to ADP. Orly, which lies 10 kilometers south of the capital, welcomed 31.9 million passengers that same year.

Catch every big hit,...
See more
Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crick-it, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Quizzes, Polls & much more. Explore now!.

Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Taylor Swift, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.
This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, November 07, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On
// // //