Orly Airport Arrivals (ORY)

Paris Orly is a busy airport just outside of the centre of Paris, and is one of the busiest of the France airports, with over 25 million passengers per annum. The airport is approximately 13km, or 8.1 miles from the city, and is located alongside the commune of Orly, hence its name. It is also recognised by its official code of ORY. Orly arrivals occur at both of airport’s terminal buildings, and by a number of airline carriers. The arrival areas are also well equipped for their passengers, and several transport options are available to various destinations in the city.

Orly is located on the southern side of Paris, whereas the larger airport of Charles de Gaulle is to the north, as well as the smaller airports of Le Bourget and Beauvais. The airport covers an area of approximately 15 square kilometres, and straddles two departments, namely, Essonne and Val-de-Marne. Within these departments, there are also seven communes nearby the airport, including Wissous, Athis-Mons, Chilly-Mazarin, Morangis, Villeneuve-le-Roi and Orly. The airport is also nearby the areas of Antony, Vitry-sur-Seine and Créteil to the north, Évry and Corbeil-Essonnes to the south, Les Ulis to the west and Limeil-Brévannes and Ozoir-la-Ferriêre to the east.

The main airline carriers at Paris Orly include Aigle Azur, Air Caraibes, Corsairfly, EasyJet, OpenSkies and Transavia France, the companies for which the airport is a hub, as well as Air France, Iberia and Flybe. Many flights arrive at Orly from other cities in France, as it is the busiest airport in the country in terms of domestic traffic, and passengers can also easily fly to the airport from areas in Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. In Spain, flights head for Paris Orly from Barcelona, Alicante, Madrid, Valencia, Malaga, the Balearic Islands of Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza, and the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria and Ibiza. From the United Kingdom, passengers arrive from London-Heathrow and Southampton.

The airport consists of two terminal buildings, referred to as the Orly-South Terminal and the Orly-West Terminal, and airline carriers arrive at both terminals. The South Terminal is frequented by the companies of Aigle Azur, Air Berlin, Air Mali, Airlinair, Europe Airpost, Iran Air, EasyJet, Norwegian Air Shuttle and Royal Air Morac, while passengers will arrive at the West Terminal if they are travelling on flights by Vueling, TwinJet, Air Malta, Alitalia, British Airways, Flybe, Iberia, Air France and Air Europa.

Paris Orly Airport arrivals are made simpler by the PARAFE program, which allows its members to avoid long queues and the more time-consuming processes at the passport control office. PARAFE is a French word that stands for Automated Fast Track Crossing at External Borders, and frequent travellers are recommended to register, free of charge, for the program. It works in four steps. Firstly, passengers will line up at the entrance of the security airlock gate which is identifiable by the PARAFE symbol, and once reaching the gate, their passport must be inserted into the terminal as directed by the on-screen instructions. Enter the airlock gate, and place your finger on the scanner to exit the airlock gate and cross the border. The automated airlock gates currently in use at Paris Orly Airport are found in the South Terminal.

Passengers should collect all their luggage items from the appropriate baggage reclaim area and carousel of their arrival terminal, and immediately report any luggage which has been damaged or lost to the airline handling agents concerned. If all is well, passengers can make their way to the various transportation services offered at the airport, or collect their vehicle from the parking lots. The Orlybus is a popular way to travel into Paris, as well as the various bus lines offered by the RATP bus company. Air France offers numerous bus services as well, one of which travels to the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Taxis are also available from outside both terminal buildings at Orly Airport. A quicker and perhaps more convenient form of transport from the airport is by train. Passengers will first need to reach the Gare d’Antony by the Orlyval, and from here, can then easily travel by train to various central railway stations in Paris. Connections for further destinations may also be available.

In the arrival areas of the airport, passengers will find the car hire companies, such as Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, National and Thrifty, and by car is a very nice way to travel the outskirts of Paris city, and to explore the nearby surrounding areas. Drivers will also be able to travel to larger towns and cities nearby Paris, such as Strasbourg, Lille and Le Mans. There are a number of prominent roads leading to and from Orly, and all regions in France are well connected by main highways and motorways. Additional facilities include post offices, pharmacies, multi-media terminals, HSCB banks, ATMs and various shops and restaurants. The terminals are also equipped for disabled passengers, and offer useful facilities for parents travelling with young children.

Further details for Paris Orly arrivals can be found online, or from the information desks within the terminal building.