Paris Orly Airport, France’s second busiest airport handling over 30 million passengers annually, plunged into chaos following a major failure in its air traffic control systems. The disruption led to the cancellation of approximately 130 flights — about 40% of the day’s scheduled departures and arrivals.
Officials from Aeroports de Paris confirmed that a radar breakdown at the Orly control tower was responsible for the significant reduction in flight operations. The cancellations affected both departures and incoming flights equally.
Thousands of passengers bound for destinations across Europe, including Spain, Italy, Austria, and Germany, were left stranded or facing lengthy delays as they scrambled to find alternative travel options.
France’s DGAC civil aviation authority described the issue as a “significant” failure that severely impacted airport operations early in the afternoon, causing widespread disruption throughout the day.
