France plays a significant role in European and global aviation, underpinned by Europe’s second-largest airport, Roissy Charles de Gaulle, and a dense network of airports that connect regions, European countries and overseas territories. A region-by-region exploration of the national airport landscape.
Île-de-France: at the heart of the national aviation industry
The Île-de-France region is the nerve centre of air traffic in France: more than half of all passengers arriving in or departing from France pass through one of the two Paris airports, Roissy or Orly.
Paris-Charles de Gaulle: the international giant
Located north-east of Paris, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (Roissy CDG) has, since its opening in 1974, established itself as the country’s leading air gateway and the second-busiest in Europe * after Heathrow in the United Kingdom.
Built to support the growth of domestic air traffic and relieve congestion at Orly Airport, Roissy CDG epitomises modernity with its circular Terminal 1, which was unique at the time.
With annual passenger traffic now exceeding 70 million, it serves every continent thanks to more than a hundred international airlines. As a major hub, Paris Roissy CDG Airport plays a key role in the local and national economy.
- Flights to and from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle Airport ✈
- How do I get to Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Airport?
Paris-Orly: a historic airport with overseas connections
Paris-Orly, situated to the south of the capital, has been an integral part of aviation history since the 1950s, following the transfer of Air France’s operations from Le Bourget in 1952.
Long the main airport in the Paris region, Orly retains its leading role, particularly for domestic and overseas routes. It handles the majority of scheduled flights to the French overseas departments and territories, whilst its international traffic has become more diverse in recent years.
Regular refurbishments of the terminals over the years have helped to diversify them and ensure they keep pace with changing passenger demand.
- Flights from Paris-Orly Airport ✈
Le Bourget: commercial prestige and business aviation
Paris-Le Bourget, the first commercial airport in the Paris metropolitan area to open in 1919, has evolved over the decades. Since the rise of Orly and then Roissy, it now operates as Europe’s leading business aviation hub, whilst also hosting the prestigious Paris Air Show, the global showcase for the aviation industry.
Governance and ADP
The ADP Group *, established in 1945 to manage the airports in the Île-de-France region and known by the trading name Aéroports de Paris until 2016, embodies the public sector structure of the French aviation industry. Now a global player, it owns or manages airports on four continents in around 50 countries, whilst coordinating the ongoing modernisation of Paris’s infrastructure.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur: a Mediterranean crossroads
After Île-de-France, the Côte d’Azur is home to France’s third andfourth busiest airports in terms of passenger numbers, centred around the region’s two main urban centres, Nice and Marseille.
Nice Côte d’Azur: tourism and international connections
Established to support the growth of tourism on the French Riviera, Nice Airport is now France’s second-busiest airport after the Paris region. Its prime geographical location generates heavy traffic to Europe, the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East and North America.
With nearly 15 million passengers a year (2024), Nice connects to the world’s largest airports, boosting the region’s economic development.
- Flights from Nice Côte-d’Azur Airport ✈
Marseille Provence: diversification and overseas territories
Having grown out of Marseille’s history as a port city, Marignane Airport has evolved through a series of modernisation projects. It has now established itself as a hub for European, Mediterranean and African travel, serving several overseas destinations, with passenger numbers set to exceed 11 million a year by 2024.
- Flights from Marseille-Provence Airport ✈
- How do I get to Marseille Airport?
Other possible flights to France and a few other destinations from Toulon in the Var:
- Flights from Toulon-Hyères Airport ✈
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: innovation and cross-sectoral collaboration
Lyon-Saint Exupéry: an emerging hub in the centre-east
Opened in 1975 as Lyon-Satolas, the airport quickly became a hub for eastern and south-eastern France. With over 10 million passengers a year – making itthe fifth busiest in France – it stands out for its integrated TGV station and regular services to Europe, Africa and Canada, as well as a number of direct flights to the overseas territories.
- Direct flights from Lyon Saint-Exupéry ✈
- How do I get to Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport?
Grenoble and Clermont-Ferrand: regional hubs
Grenoble Alpes Isère, which is mainly a seasonal airport, welcomes visitors from the United Kingdom and other countries during the winter sports season. Clermont-Ferrand handles the bulk of business traffic and remains an ideal gateway to the Auvergne region.
Occitanie: the history of aviation and tourism
Occitanie has two airports with over 100,000 passengers a year, one in the historic heart of the Airbus aircraft manufacturer’s operations, the other near the Mediterranean coast.
Toulouse-Blagnac: industry and connectivity
Toulouse-Blagnac, on the outskirts of the ‘Pink City’, is a symbol of the French aerospace industry. This site, the historic headquarters of Airbus, serves as both a passenger transport hub (handling nearly 8 million passengers a year) and an air freight hub. Its network extends to Europe, North Africa, Canada and a number of overseas destinations.
- Direct flights from Toulouse-Blagnac Airport ✈
- How do I get to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport?
Montpellier Méditerranée: growth of the seaside resort and the wider region
Serving one of the south’s most dynamic cities, Montpellier Méditerranée is seeing a slight increase in passenger numbers, with 1.8 million passengers expected in 2024, driven by the thriving tourism sector in the Languedoc region and regular connections with France, southern Europe and the Maghreb.
- Direct flights from Montpellier Méditerranée Airport ✈
Perpignan-Rivesaltes, a historic airport with links to the Aéropostale and the southernmost airport on the Mediterranean coast in France, is experiencing significant growth, with passenger numbers set to reach the 500,000 mark in 2024.
- Direct flights from Perpignan-Rivesaltes Airport ✈
The Far West: growth and openness
From the Basque Country to Brittany, the Atlantic coast is home to several airports, with traffic levels varying depending on the situation and the season.
Bordeaux-Mérignac and Nantes-Atlantique: economic strengths
Bordeaux Airport, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, has seen its passenger numbers grow year on year, stabilising at 6.6 million in 2024. It connects the Atlantic coast with the rest of the country and with major European economic centres.
- Direct flights from Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport ✈
Further north in the Pays de la Loire region, Nantes-Atlantique handles over 7 million passengers and has established itself as the regional hub for western France, with connections to Europe, Canada and several seasonal flights to overseas territories.
- Flights fromNantes-Atlantique Airport ✈
Dynamic regional platforms
The airports at Biarritz, Brest, Rennes and Pau operate regular and seasonal services to Paris, London, Spain and the Maghreb. Some of them play a key role during the summer months, supporting coastal tourism and travel by residents within France.
- Flights from the following airports:
North-East: diversity and distinctive features
On the borders of Northern Europe, three aviation hubs stand out due to their high volumes of air traffic, with others located near major urban areas.
Hauts-de-France: the impact of low-cost airlines in Lille and Beauvais
Lille Lesquin and Paris-Beauvais illustrate the importance of the northern network. Specialising in low-cost flights, this network attracts 4.6 million passengers each year thanks to a service offering focused on Europe and the Maghreb. Lille, on the French-Belgian border, plays a strategic role at both regional and European level.
Grand-Est: borders and diversity
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse, situated in Saint-Louis in the Haut-Rhin department, stands out for its binational status and its connections to eastern France, Switzerland and neighbouring Germany, with a total of nearly 9 million passengers in 2024.
- Flights from Basel-Mulhouse Airport ✈
Strasbourg, Metz, Nancy and Dole round off a network of international and domestic routes, focusing on the Rhine, Central Europe, the Maghreb and, occasionally, overseas territories.
Corsica: between the mainland and the ‘Island of Beauty’
As well as ferry services to Corsica, this Mediterranean island has four international airports spread from north to south. The main airports are Bastia and Ajaccio, supplemented by Figari and Calvi, which operate more seasonal services. Although most connections are from France, there are direct flights from Italy, Germany, the UK, Luxembourg and Switzerland, amongst others.
In France and on the mainland, connections are available from Paris,
- Flights to and from the following airports:
Overseas territories: vital airlifts
From mainland France, Paris-Orly and Paris-CDG serve as hubs connecting the mainland to Corsica and the overseas territories. Cities such as Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse and Nantes offer regular direct flights to Corsica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion and French Guiana, tailoring their services to the seasons and demand.
- Flights to and from the following airports:
An evolving network: from history to the future
Over the centuries, France has developed an airport infrastructure that reflects its political, economic and social ambitions. From a dense network initially centred on Paris, the geographical layout has evolved towards regional complementarity and greater integration with Europe.
Today, challenges are mounting: the energy transition, increased competition from rail, adapting to demand, and health, safety and environmental issues. The modernisation of terminals, the development of intermodal transport, noise management and reducing the carbon footprint of transport hubs are key issues for the sector’s vitality.
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