Paris-Orly Airport descended into fresh travel turmoil on Sunday, May 18, 2025, as a critical air traffic control system failure in France triggered mass disruption, forcing the cancellation of over forty percent of scheduled flights. The outage halted operations across key international routes, with significant impacts on travel to the US, Italy, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Austria. The French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) implemented emergency traffic restrictions as airlines scrambled to adjust schedules, affecting both domestic and global connectivity from one of France’s busiest airports just ahead of the summer travel surge.

The impact was immediate and severe, with flights grounded or delayed across key routes, including to the United States, Italy, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Ireland, and Austria. The failure led to strict traffic limitations, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and dozens of aircraft unable to operate.

Air Traffic Chaos Hits Major International Routes

Paris-Orly, one of France’s busiest airports serving over 33 million travelers last year, handles both domestic and international operations. The latest outage affected scheduled services across Europe and the Middle East. Flights to and from Spain, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Ireland, and several French cities were either cancelled or delayed throughout Sunday.

DGAC confirmed that the disruption required significant “regulation” and operational cutbacks, while offering no specific cause for the systems malfunction. Affected passengers faced long queues, rebooking confusion, and limited communication from carriers as contingency plans struggled to keep up with the scale of the outage.

Airline-Specific Impacts: Cancellation and Delay Rates

The following is a breakdown of the most affected airlines operating at Paris-Orly during the outage, including cancellation and delay percentages:

easyJet and Vueling emerged as the most heavily impacted carriers in terms of both cancellations and delays, accounting for the bulk of disrupted flights. National carrier Air France and its subsidiary Transavia France also reported operational setbacks, though with a lower rate of cancellations.

Wider Implications for France’s Air Travel Network

The malfunction at Paris-Orly sent ripples through the broader French airspace management system. Though Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle remained unaffected, Orly’s role as a major gateway for short- and mid-haul European routes meant that ripple delays extended to regional airports and connecting carriers.

This marks one of the most significant airspace disruptions in France since previous ATC strikes and technical outages in past years. The timing, just ahead of the summer holiday season, raises further concern about infrastructure reliability and the resilience of control systems under growing passenger volumes.

DGAC stated that all available technical teams were “fully mobilized” to restore operations and ensure safety, but gave no estimate for a complete return to normal schedules.

France plunged into new travel chaos on May 18 as a major air traffic control failure at Paris-Orly Airport forced airlines to cancel over forty percent of flights. The disruption crippled international operations, affecting key routes to the US, Italy, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Ireland, and Austria.

Passenger Advisories and Travel Outlook

Passengers scheduled to travel through Paris-Orly in the coming days are advised to check directly with their airlines for updates, rebooking options, or possible diversions to other airports. The French Civil Aviation Authority continues to monitor the situation closely and may implement further restrictions depending on system recovery progress.

As France prepares for the upcoming summer travel surge, the Paris-Orly failure serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of air travel infrastructure, especially when unexpected system-wide issues arise with little warning.

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