At Orly airport, a breakdown in the baggage handling system affects 10,000 passengers

2023-08-03 16:30:37

The baggage handling system in terminal 4 at Paris-Orly airport broke down on Thursday August 3, causing a “mess” and “significant delays” at the start, in the middle of the summer vacation period, learned Agence France-Presse (AFP) from an airport source. This malfunction, noted at the start of operations before dawn, was still not “not identified, not yet in repair” in the early afternoon, according to this source.

“About 10,000 passengers” traveling on forty flights are affected, according to the airport manager, the Aéroports de Paris (ADP) group, which mentioned a “unprecedented failure” and ensured that technical teams were at work. In a message on X (Twitter), the group clarified that the other Orly terminals were not concerned. The T4 welcomes companies serving overseas or foreign countries.

Among “all flights departing from T4 since this morning, many are late, significant delays, an hour or more”explained the airport source. “All baggage is not processed as quickly as it should be because the vast majority is processed by hand”, she added. Result : “A lot of luggage is stored, (…) departing passengers but not the luggage. »

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Paris 2024: the “great hospitality challenge” for Paris airports

“It is not the breakdown of a luggage belt that should block Orly”

Planes from Air Caraïbes and French Bee had to take off Thursday without checked baggage, announced to AFP Marc Rochet, the leader of these companies, referring to a ” critical situation “. He evaluates “between one and three hours” take-off delays for its planes. Regarding luggage left at Orly, “we will be forced to redirect them within twenty-four hours, and we already apologize to our customers”, added Mr. Rochet. Even if all available teams are mobilized to adapt the system and minimize disruption, “it is not the failure of a luggage belt which should block a French airport of the importance of Orly”he still regretted.

Selon ADP, “palliative solutions have been put in place in collaboration with the companies and the assistants, for example the postponement of flights on Orly 1, 2 and 3”. “Some flights may also be transferred to Paris – Charles-de-Gaulle airport” north of the capital, according to the manager.

The World with AFP