Air France to stop most domestic flights from Orly airport by 2026

PARIS (Reuters) - Air France said it would stop operating most domestic flights from Paris-Orly airport by the summer of 2026 and operate domestic and international flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport to cope with falling demand for domestic flights.

"The rise of video conferencing, the drop in domestic business travel and the growing shift toward rail are leading to a structural fall in demand on Air France's domestic point-to-point network," the airline said in a statement.

Between 2019 and 2023, traffic on domestic routes out of Paris-Orly fell by 40%, and by 60% for day return trips, it said.

Air France said the impact on jobs in the regional airports of Toulouse, Marseille and Nice would be limited, and would be managed through voluntary transfers and departures.

Regarding employees based in Paris-Orly, it said staffing needs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle would be such by 2026 to guarantee everyone an equivalent position at the Roissy site.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; editing by Christina Fincher)