Eighty years after its first departure from Paris-Orly, Air France operated its final mainline service from the southern Paris airport on 29 March, completing a multi-year strategy to concentrate all full-service operations at Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG). The airline says the move will improve international connectivity, lower costs and free scarce slots for low-cost unit Transavia, which is expanding aggressively at Orly. The consolidation synchronises with the IATA summer timetable and coincides with a 2 % year-on-year increase in Air France-KLM long-haul capacity. Highlights include a new Paris-Las Vegas route from 15 April, doubled Newark frequencies and up-gauge of several Asian services. Domestic links from CDG will also rise to twelve daily flights to Toulouse and Nice, reinforcing the hub’s feeder network. Operationally, 1,800 ground-handling and service employees previously based at Orly have accepted transfers to CDG, while Orly’s former Air France lounge has been rebadged for Transavia passengers. Stakeholder unions welcomed the no-lay-off approach but warned that commuting times for staff based south of Paris will increase by up to 90 minutes. For corporate travel buyers the change simplifies connecting itineraries: Paris now functions as a true single-hub gateway for SkyTeam partners, cutting minimum connection times between domestic and long-haul flights by an average of 25 minutes. However, travellers starting or ending journeys in southern Paris suburbs may need to rethink ground-transport options. Analysts say the move positions Air France to compete more effectively with consolidated rivals Lufthansa (Frankfurt/Munich) and British Airways (Heathrow) ahead of the 2027 slot-auction cycle and the 2028 Olympics traffic surge.
Source: ad-hoc-news
