TRAVEL CHAOS AT EUROPE HOTSPOT AIRPORT AFTER CONTROL TOWER BREAK DOWN SEES MORE THAN 100 FLIGHTS CANCELLED

A popular European airport has been plunged into chaos after the breakdown of a control tower forced the cancellation of 130 flights. 

Thousands of passengers have been left scrambling for alternative travel routes after Paris Orly Airport, which handles over 30 million passengers a year, suffered a 'failure in their air traffic control systems', officials have said. 

A spokesman for Aeroports de Paris, which operates the French capital's second busiest airport, said about 40 percent of the day's departures and arrivals had been called off.

Passengers hoping to travel to destinations including Spain, Italy, Austria and Germany have been left stranded after experiencing flight cancellations, while others endured lengthy delays. 

France's DGAC civil aviation authority blamed the 'significant' reduction in flight numbers on 'a failure of the air traffic control systems' that had taken place at the Orly tower early this afternoon.

Meanwhile, an aviation source revealed that the chaos at the travel hub had been caused by a radar breakdown.

The airport spokesman said about half of the 130 cancelled flights were departures, while half had been incoming flights. 

Flights across France and to an abundance of other destinations across Europe and North Africa were among those most severely hit. 

The DGAC were unable to confirm whether flights would return to normal on Monday.

Amid the mayhem and stood near a line of suitcases, Agnes Zilouri, 46, tried desperately to find a seat for her 86-year-old mother and six year old son after her flight had been cancelled. 

The family had been meant to take a flight to Oujda in Morocco on Sunday evening to go to a funeral.

Speaking on the devastation of the chaos, Ms Zilouri added: 'The flight is cancelled. Fortunately I am with my mother'.

Meanwhile, another frustrated passenger took to X to share their dismay at their flight cancellation from Dublin to Paris, stating: 'My 19:45 flight to Orly from Dublin was cancelled. It's been almost two hours, and still no email that informs me of a cancellation. It's ridiculous to have to find out right as I walk into the airport.'

Serving as a secondary hub for domestic and international flights, Orly Airport handled an estimated 33 million passengers last year, approximately half the number of the main Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) International airport. 

Prior to the opening of CDG in 1974, Orly was the main airport of Paris. 

The travel mayhem comes just a week after an IT meltdown sparked travel chaos for holidaymakers at the UK's Stansted Airport, with up to 10,000 passengers missing flights on Saturday, May 17. 

Travellers faced 'utter carnage' and delays after an IT failure at around 2.30am brought operations to a standstill.

Holidaymakers were forced to queue for hours through check-in, baggage and security, while Jet2 and Tui delayed departures to wait for passengers to reach the gate.

Some were even made to enter huge queues stretching outside the airport terminal before they were able to enter the building.

At the time, one furious passenger wrote on X: 'Some people are queuing outside just to get inside the airport terminal. Some have given up and gone home as they have missed their flights.'

Paris Orly Airport was contacted for comment.  

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2025-05-18T20:27:39Z