Air France has announced plans to “evolve” its domestic network, with flights from Paris Orly set to cease from 2026.
The carrier said that “The rise of videoconferencing, the drop in domestic business travel and the growing shift toward rail (under the combined effect of government sobriety recommendations and corporate CSR policies) are leading to a structural fall in demand on Air France’s domestic point-to-point network”.
Air France added that there had been a 40 per cent fall in traffic on domestic routes out of Paris Orly between 2019 and 2023, and as high as 60 per cent on day return trips.
The airline will continue to operate its Paris Orly-Corsica service under existing Public Service Order (PSO) commitments, but all other domestic and international flights will depart from Paris CDG going forward.
The carrier confirmed that it would continue serving Toulouse, Marseille and Nice and French Overseas departments from Paris Orly between now and 2026, from when it would “bolster the number of flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Toulouse, Marseille, Nice, Pointe-à-Pitre, Fort-de-France and Saint-Denis de La Réunion, thus facilitating international connections and strengthening the connectivity of the French regions and Overseas territories”.
However the group will continue to have a presence at Paris Orly, with subsidiary Transavia set to operate flights from the airport to Toulouse, Marseille and Nice from summer 2026. Air France pointed to Transavia’s growing fleet of A320 neo aircraft, which “offer a 15 per cent reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, as well as a 50 per cent reduction of the noise footprint”.
Overall the group said that it would maintain 90 per cent of its capacity between Paris and Toulouse, Marseille and Nice, and 100 per cent of capacity for routes between Paris and the French overseas territories.
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airfrance.co.uk