Orly International Airport

Located in Orly in the southern end of Paris, France, Orly Airport was once the city’s main airport. It caters to flights around the globe and you may choose between Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and even Africa if you wish to book a flight from Orly. While Orly Airport is older and better established, the Charles de Gaulle International Airport has long since taken over its role as the city’s main airport. However, the airport is still thriving and many choose to use this airport instead. The airport is managed by the city’s main airport authority which also manages the Charles de Gaulle and the Le Bourget Airport, as well as several minor airports in the surrounding suburbs of the city.

Orly International Airport is a public airport and it is operated by Aéroports de Paris. Built at an elevation of 291 ft (89 m), there is seldom a problem with visibility. The airport has two main terminal buildings – the west and south – and each focus on flights to different parts of the globe so it is important to go the right building when booking or departing. Both terminals are linked to the rest of the city by freeways, buses and the metro. The airport also has three different runways only one of which is bituminous concrete and which measures 11 975 ft (3 650 m) in length. The other two are 7 874 ft (2 400 m) and 10 892 ft (3 320 m) in length and have a concrete surface.

When it was originally built, the Orly Airport was known as the Villeneuve-Orly Airport. That was in 1932 when it was opened to serve as a secondary airport to Le Bourget. During the Second World War, Orly came under the use of German forces and so was often bombed by opposing forces. It also saw a lot of military action during this time period. After the war it was used as a special air terminal for NATO meetings and in 1954 it was once again used for military operations. This continued until 1967 when all military operations at Orly were closed for good. Today this airport is immensely popular as an alternate destination airport for France.