Paris Orly Airport (ORY) Flights & Information

Paris’s second airport, Paris Orly Airport (ORY), is much smaller than its more famous counterpart, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). Just 8 miles south of the city center, it’s very convenient to get into town, and I’ll often choose it over CDG. In recent years Orly has undergone a major makeover with a new terminal building, layout, and public transport connections, including the extension of Paris Metro line 14.

Paris Orly’s terminals

While Orly numbers its terminals 1-4, they’re all contained in one U-shaped building, which makes navigation convenient. Just check the gate letter on your boarding pass and head to the corresponding terminal. Terminal 1 contains the A and B gates, terminal 2 contains the C gates, terminal 3 contains the D gates and some E gates, and terminal 4 contains the remaining E gates and all of the F gates.

If, like me, you remember Orly before 2019, know that it’s much improved now and easier to navigate. The new terminal 3 connects the previous West and South terminals, now renumbered, but you may still see references to these old terminals sometimes. You can ignore them.

Orly today is a second hub for flag carrier Air France (short-haul flights flying from terminal 2 and long-haul flights flying from terminal 3), the main hub for European low-cost carrier Transavia in terminals 2 and 3, and the home to French long-haul low-cost carriers French Bee, Air Caraïbes, and Corsair in terminal 4.

European low-cost carrier Vueling also has flights from terminal 1 to many destinations, while all-business-class La Compagnie flies from terminal 4 to Newark Liberty International Airport, one of the three main airports serving the New York City metro area.

Arriving in Paris Orly

Lines for passport control on arrival can be long, so I usually make sure to visit the restroom on the plane before landing and also to refill my water bottle. The airport can be hot in summer, and France’s typical interior air conditioning temperature is warmer than in the US.

US, Canadian and a dozen other countries’ citizens can use the automated passport control gates, which are called PARAFE. You may spot a priority fast-track line for business class passengers and some frequent flyers, signed as “Accès No 1” with burgundy signs. Feel free to use them if you meet the listed conditions.

Your passport must be valid for a full six months from the day you arrive. If your passport expires sooner, you may not even be allowed to board your flight to Paris in the first place. Once in, you can stay up to 90 days for tourism or business in any 180-day period, so you have more than enough time for a vacation or adding a few days to your business trip.

Getting to and from Paris Orly Airport by public transit

Orly is very well connected to Paris’s transportation network by metro (subway), tram and the Orlyval people mover that connects to regional rail.

The Aéroport d’Orly Metro station on the Paris Metro’s line 14 opened in June 2024 and is a real gamechanger for getting into Paris. Line 14 runs right through the center of Paris along the Right Bank of the river Seine and, for most people, will be the best way to get where they’re going with one change or no changes at all.

Line 14 is also one of the few lines that was intentionally designed to be fully accessible to wheelchair users, though I’d definitely recommend checking the network’s elevator/lift service status page before setting off.

The T7 tram connects directly to line 7 at Villejuif – Louis Aragon and the regional rail RER C train line at La Fraternelle. Line 7 goes through the center of Paris, while the RER C is very convenient for the Left Bank.

Do be aware that the RER C splits into multiple destinations after the Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel station for the Eiffel Tower, so don’t get on the wrong train. It also splits in the Orly direction when you’re coming back to the airport, so I always make sure to keep an eye on the station displays.

The Orlyval people mover shuttles back and forth to Antony station on the RER B regional rail line in just six minutes. The RER B runs north/south through the center of Paris, all the way to Charles de Gaulle Airport and other destinations in the northeastern suburbs.

There’s also the Orlybus service to the Denfert-Rochereau station in the 14th arrondissement (meaning district) but it’s in south-central Paris and not generally an area frequented by most tourists). And if you’re here for Disneyland Paris, you’ll find shuttles directly to the hotels surrounding the amusement park.

Getting to and from Paris ORY by car

If you’re heading south from Paris into the rest of France, Orly is very convenient – much more so than Charles de Gaulle – and connected to a spur of the major A6 autoroute (expressway). I’ve lived in France for a decade and I wouldn’t recommend driving into Paris itself.

If you have heavy bags or more than one suitcase, I would take a taxi or rideshare rather than the metro, unless your accommodation is right next to a metro station.

Make sure to avoid unauthorized taxis and use only the official taxi queues – there are three of them at Orly, located at specific doors (portes) of each terminal: porte 14a for terminals 1 and 2, porte 32a for terminal 3, and porte 48a for terminal 4.

There are flat rates into central Paris, but the meter must be used for destinations outside of central Paris.

Several rideshare services operate in Paris, and many of these operate elsewhere in Europe, too, so these can be useful for multi-city trips. If you don’t speak French, it can be helpful to be able to just type your destination into your phone and be taken there without the need for translation.

Uber is the most widely used, and what I tend to default to, but I keep Bolt and FreeNow on my phone too in case Uber is super-busy.

Security and departure passport control lines

Departing Orly, security works much as it does in any other airport. You’ll usually need to put carry-on liquids, gels and aerosols into a 1-liter clear plastic bag (roughly the size of a 1 qt bag in the US) and remove it from your carry-on for screening. New scanners where this isn’t necessary are rolling out but they’re not everywhere, so I just continue the habit of having everything in a clear plastic bag anyway.

Unlike some countries (including the US and UK), you also have to go through departure passport controls when leaving the Schengen Area – the European cross-border zone in which France is a participant – though usually not if remaining within it.

US, Canadian and a dozen other countries’ citizens can again use the automated PARAFE gates. Many other nationals can use these for exit-only as well. The priority fast-track line for business class passengers and frequent flyers can be a bit tricky to find on this sign. It’s usually signed as “Accès No 1” with burgundy and orange signs, but ask for “ack-say noo-may-roh un” if you don’t see it.

Free Wi-Fi Internet at the airport

The Wi-Fi network at ORY is called “WIFI-AIRPORT” and it’s both free and unlimited. It works pretty well, but beware that it’s not secure, so I always use a VPN or just stick with my mobile connection.

Lounges

There’s only one Priority Pass lounge in Orly, the Premium Traveller Lounge in terminal 1 after security. It only serves flights within the Schengen Area. It’s modern and clean, with soft drinks, alcohol and light snacks, but there’s no lavatory in the lounge, so use the facilities in the terminal.

Air France has two lounges – one in the short-haul zone of terminal 2, and one in the long-haul zone of terminal 3. Both serve a variety of drinks and snacks, including real Champagne, but the terminal 3 one is much lighter, brighter and more attractive than the one in terminal 2. Both lounges are also available to SkyTeam and partner frequent flyers, and day-pass access may available if you’re flying Air France, too.

Terminal 4 is home to the new, spacious and airy Royal Air Maroc Le Zénith lounge, also accessible to Oneworld alliance frequent flyers and business class passengers. You may still find signage or references to an Iberia Lounge in terminal 1, but this is now closed, and those who had access are now redirected to the Premium Traveller Lounge so just head there directly.