Air Arabia Maroc wins Paris-Orly slots after Ryanair drops planned flights
Paris-Orly Airport will welcome a new Moroccan airline in summer 2027. Air Arabia Maroc has secured slots to serve Fès, benefiting from Ryanair’s withdrawal and a fiercely contested redistribution among carriers.
Air Arabia Maroc is one of four airlines selected to operate from Paris-Orly during the 2027 summer season. According to information reported on Thursday, November 5, by La Tribune, the Moroccan carrier plans to launch a route to Fès, a destination currently served from the airport by Transavia and Royal Air Maroc.
On Bladi.net : Ryanair Cuts Flights in France and Belgium but Adds 580,000 Seats in Morocco
The move follows, in particular, Ryanair’s decision to withdraw. At the end of 2024, the Irish airline had secured slots to operate two daily flights from Orly in 2025, with planned services to Bergamo, Italy, and Bratislava, Slovakia. But its chief executive, Michael O’Leary, abandoned the plan on December 17, 2024. The announced flights were never launched.
According to Antoine Lapert, director of COHOR, the body responsible for allocating airport slots, Ryanair accounts for around a third of the slots made available again. Other airlines also gave up their rights or lost the ability to retain their historic schedules.
More than 21,000 requests for Orly slots
In total, COHOR put 4,368 slots back up for allocation, equivalent to six daily round trips over an entire year. Competition was particularly intense: more than 21,000 slots were requested, nearly five bids for every available slot.
Four airlines were ultimately selected. In addition to Air Arabia Maroc, Eurowings plans to connect Orly with Düsseldorf, SkyUp with Chisinau, Moldova, and Middle East Airlines with Beirut. The new services are due to begin between April and October 2027.
On Bladi.net : Air Arabia Maroc Summer Flights France Expansion 2026
For Air Arabia Maroc, the move marks a new stage in its expansion in France, where it already serves Fès from several cities, including Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier. The frequency and fares for its future flights from Orly have yet to be announced. Its arrival could bring the number of airlines offering direct flights between Orly and Fès to three, giving travelers and Moroccans living in the Paris region more options.
