Whispers of history linger around Promenade d’Orly. This seemingly ordinary walkway holds secrets of a bustling airport. Paris Orly Airport opened in 1932 initially known as Villeneuve-Orly Airport. It served as Paris’s primary airport before Charles de Gaulle Airport’s opening in 1974. Orly Airport’s location straddles two departments and seven communes. Imagine its early days a secondary airfield to Le Bourget. Two enormous airship hangars built by engineer Eugène Freyssinet in the 1920s stood nearby. The sounds of planes taking off and landing must have been quite different back then.
World War II drastically altered Orly’s destiny. The German Luftwaffe used it as a combat airfield. Allied forces repeatedly bombed it severely damaging its infrastructure. After the war the USAAF repaired parts of Orly. Ninth Air Force used it as a tactical airfield until 1945. The Americans left in 1967. France’s withdrawal from NATO’s integrated command led to this. The airport played a vital role in the post-war recovery. Orly became crucial for domestic traffic. Think of the passengers arriving here from all parts of France. The stories they brought with them are lost to time but their presence echoes here.
Orly Airport’s growth was phenomenal. Millions of passengers traveled through Orly annually. Air France used it as a domestic and overseas hub. Transavia France used it as its home base. Airlines flew to destinations across the globe. However challenges followed. A 20 year old Windows 3.1 system failure disrupted operations in 2015. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a complete closure of commercial traffic in 2020. The airport reopened in June 2020. Its role changed slightly. State flights emergency diversions and medical evacuations continued here.
Orly’s modern history isn’t all smooth sailing. A large development project aimed to merge terminals. This aimed to create one giant terminal. Yet the airport faces further changes. Air France plans to significantly reduce its use of Orly by 2026. Only a single flight will remain a public service obligation flight to Corsica. Despite these changes Orly’s history continues. As you walk Promenade d’Orly remember the countless journeys that began and ended here. Each step resonates with the past. The promenade itself a silent witness to aviation’s evolution. This unassuming walkway reveals Paris Orly Airport’s rich and complex history. A legacy woven into the very fabric of this Parisian promenade.