Groupe ADP now expects passenger numbers at Charles de Gaulle and Orly to slip slightly in 2026 after summer traffic fell to 20.2 million, blaming the jump in kerosene prices linked to the war in the Middle East
Fewer Planes, Fewer Queues
ROISSY. Groupe ADP, which runs Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, now expects traffic at the two airports to dip slightly in 2026 compared with 2025, after previously forecasting a 0.5 percent rise, according to the AFP report on Orange Actualites about the halt in Paris airport traffic growth. The airports handled about 107 million passengers in 2025. Summer traffic in July and August fell to 20.2 million passengers from 20.6 million a year earlier. If confirmed, 2026 would be the first annual decline since 2020. ADP blamed a sharp rise in kerosene prices linked to the war in the Middle East, which pushed airlines to raise fares and adjust capacity.
In September, Charles de Gaulle rose 1.5 percent year on year to 6.224 million passengers, while Orly fell 7.9 percent to 2.858 million. For Parisians who have spent years complaining about crowds at the airports, the news has raised an unfamiliar possibility: a shorter queue at security.
The Silver Lining
A frequent business traveller from the 16th arrondissement said he had noticed the difference at Orly. Last week I went through security in eleven minutes, he said. Eleven minutes! At Orly! I was so confused I went back to check that I had not missed a step. I had time to buy a coffee, drink it sitting down and read an entire newspaper. I have not done that since 2019. I felt like an aristocrat.
A retired airline pilot was less cheerful. When fuel becomes expensive, he said, the first thing that disappears is the cheap ticket. The second thing is the passenger who used the cheap ticket. The third thing is the airline executive’s smile. Travel is still possible. It is just becoming what it was in the 1960s: something for people who can afford it.
The Staycation Returns
With fares rising, many Parisians are reconsidering their holiday plans. Travel agents report growing interest in train journeys to Brittany, the Alps and Provence. A family from Montreuil said they had replaced a planned trip to Lisbon with a week in Normandy. It rained every day, the father said. The children loved it. They found a crab. We spent four hundred euros less. Lisbon will still be there next year. The crab, probably not.
The Tax Question
The government plans to raise a transport infrastructure tax known as the TEITLD in the 2027 budget, and ADP says its 2026 outlook excludes any effect from that measure. According to the Scara airline group, the tax cost ADP 140 million euros in 2025. ADP kept its 2026 financial forecasts, though it expects EBITDA at the low end of its 2.30 to 2.35 billion euro range. Airline representatives argue that higher taxes will push fares up further. A travel economist summarised the debate. Everyone agrees that someone should pay, he said. They simply disagree violently about who.
Jobs And Protests
Roissy and Orly support about 120,000 jobs in Ile-de-France, according to a 2024 study commissioned by ADP. At the same time, opponents of expanding Charles de Gaulle protested at ADP’s headquarters on Monday. The airports thus sit in the middle of a very French argument between jobs, the climate, taxes and the right to a cheap weekend in Barcelona.
The Last Word
At a nearly empty gate at Orly on a Tuesday morning, a young couple sat with their backpacks, delighted at the space around them. We paid a fortune for these tickets, the woman said. But look, we have a whole row of seats to ourselves. Her partner stretched out across four chairs. If flying is going to cost this much, he said, I am at least going to enjoy the airport. A cleaner pushing a trolley nearby laughed. Enjoy it, she said. Next summer, the queue comes back.