Paris Orly International Airport: The Complete Traveller’s Guide (2026)
Short answer: Paris Orly International Airport (ORY) is the capital’s second-largest airport and France’s busiest for domestic traffic, handling about 35 million passengers in 2025. It sits 13 km south of central Paris and runs from a single connected complex split into four terminals — Orly 1, 2, 3 and 4. Since June 2024 it’s linked to the city by Metro Line 14 in roughly 25 minutes.
TL;DR
- Code: ORY · 13 km south of Paris · ~35M passengers (2025)
- Four terminals: Orly 1, 2, 3, 4 — one connected building; Orly 4 is the former Orly-Sud, a short shuttle hop from the rest.
- Best for: Air France domestic, low-cost (easyJet, Vueling, Transavia), and long-haul to the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, West Africa and the Maghreb.
- To Paris: Metro Line 14 (~25 min), Orlyval + RER B, Tram T7, taxi/transfer. The Orlybus was retired in 2025.
- Slowest points: security on departure and passport control on arrival — a Fast Track Orly service is built for exactly these.
What Is Paris Orly Airport?
Orly (ORY) is one of two major airports serving Paris, alongside Charles de Gaulle (CDG). It was the city’s main gateway until CDG opened in 1974, and it remains the busier of the two for domestic flights. Today it’s an operating base for Corsair, easyJet, French Bee, La Compagnie, Transavia and Vueling, and a key European hub for routes to Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, the French Caribbean and the Indian Ocean.
If you’re choosing between the two Paris airports, the rule of thumb is simple: no Star Alliance or Oneworld carrier flies from Orly — those all use CDG. We break the comparison down in Orly vs Charles de Gaulle for fast track.
The Four Orly Terminals at a Glance
Orly has one terminal building divided into four numbered halls. A 2019 reorganisation retired the old “Orly Sud” and “Orly Ouest” names and added Orly 3 as a central connector.
| Terminal | Formerly | Check-in zones | Gates | Typical airlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orly 1 | Orly Ouest | 11–18 | A, B | easyJet, Vueling, Iberia, Volotea, Air Europa |
| Orly 2 | Orly Ouest | 21–26 | C | Air France, ITA Airways, TAP Air Portugal |
| Orly 3 | New (2019) | 31–36 | D (intl), E (Schengen) | Transavia, Air Corsica, Wizz Air |
| Orly 4 | Orly Sud | 41–48 | F | Royal Air Maroc, Air Algérie, Corsair, French Bee, Pegasus, Tunisair |
Airlines do move between halls, so your boarding pass is the only source that’s always right. For the full breakdown, see Orly’s four terminals explained, and for the separate southern building, the Orly 4 guide.
Getting From Orly to Central Paris
| Option | Time to centre | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Metro Line 14 | ~25 min to Châtelet | Fast, fixed-time, direct since June 2024 |
| Orlyval + RER B | ~35 min | Reaching the wider RER network via Antony |
| Tram T7 | ~45 min+ | Budget travel toward southern Paris |
| Taxi / private transfer | 30–60 min | Door-to-door with luggage; fixed taxi fares to central Paris |
Note the Orlybus stopped running in 2025 once Line 14 reached the airport — older guides that still list it are out of date.
Passport Control and the New EES Checks
Since 10 April 2026, the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) has been live across all four Orly terminals. Non-EU passengers now give four fingerprints and a facial photo on their first entry, with fingerprint-only checks on later trips within three years. At peak times — Maghreb morning arrivals into Orly 3, Caribbean evening arrivals into Orly 4 — passport control can run 60 to 90 minutes.
From late 2026, visa-exempt non-EU travellers will also need an ETIAS authorisation (€7, valid three years). If you hold a passport that already requires a Schengen visa, none of this replaces it.
Arrival queues are the single biggest time sink at Orly, which is why a greeter who walks you through priority passport control changes the whole arrival. See our arrival fast-track service.
Where Time Disappears — and How to Get It Back
Two choke points define the Orly experience:
- Security on departure. Whatever hall you fly from, the security lane is where the clock runs down — worst at the morning low-cost bank in Orly 1. A departure fast-track lane puts you through a priority queue. If you’re unsure of timing, read how early to arrive at Orly.
- Passport control on arrival (covered above).
For a plain-English breakdown of the security side, see skip the security queue at Orly. Connecting through Orly? Transfers here are usually a walk between halls, explained in connecting flights at Orly.
Flying a Specific Airline From Orly?
We’ve written dedicated, terminal-accurate guides for the busiest Orly carriers:
- Fast Track Orly for easyJet — Orly 1 departures
- Fast Track Orly for Vueling — Orly 1 departures
- Fast Track Orly for Royal Air Maroc — Orly 4 arrivals & departures
Ready for a stress-free Orly?
Skip the queues with a personal VIP escort at every Orly terminal. Book your Fast Track Orly service →
