Major Airports in France

France is the world’s most-visited country, and for most international arrivals the journey starts at an airport. The national network mirrors the country’s geography: two large hubs around Paris funnel long-haul traffic from six continents, a glamorous gateway at Nice feeds the Riviera, and a dense web of regional airports links cities like Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse and Bordeaux to the rest of Europe and North Africa.

Below we map and rank France’s major airports by the number of nonstop destinations each one serves, drawn from live route data on AirportRoutes. Because the figures come from observed flight data — a large sample rather than a complete published timetable — we treat them as a strong guide to relative connectivity rather than exact, official totals.

Which French airports have direct flights to the US?

Long-haul flying in France is heavily concentrated in Paris. Charles de Gaulle is the country’s intercontinental powerhouse, with roughly 143 intercontinental destinations and nonstop links to around 15 cities in the United States — including Los Angeles, Newark, Memphis, New York, Atlanta, Chicago and more.

Paris-Orly adds direct US service to Newark, Miami, Los Angeles, while Nice-Côte d’Azur — unusually for a regional airport — runs seasonal nonstops to Atlanta, Newark, New York, Washington. Beyond the US, airports such as Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse carry significant intercontinental traffic too, but mostly to North Africa, the Middle East and the French overseas territories rather than North America.

In short: if you’re flying nonstop between France and the United States, you’re almost certainly using Paris — with Nice as the main exception for Riviera-bound travellers.

A closer look at France’s biggest airports

🛫 Charles de Gaulle (CDG)

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Opened in March 1974 and now past its 50th year, Charles de Gaulle is France’s busiest airport and the principal hub of Air France. Its original Terminal 1 — architect Paul Andreu’s circular “spaceship” ringed by tube-shaped travelators — remains one of Europe’s most recognisable airport buildings. Sited about 25 km northeast of central Paris at Roissy, CDG is the country’s main long-haul gateway.

Serving Paris, CDG reaches about 205 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 143 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Istanbul, Madrid, Algiers, Toulouse, Rome.

Main airlines: Air France, easyJet, Delta Air Lines, Air Algerie, airBaltic. See the full route map for CDG on AirportRoutes →

✈️ Paris-Orly (ORY)

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Paris’s older airport, around 13 km south of the city, Orly opened its landmark Orly Sud terminal in 1961 — inaugurated by Charles de Gaulle himself. Long the capital’s domestic and holiday gateway, it has rebuilt its international and long-haul network in recent years and is a major base for Transavia France.

Serving Paris, ORY reaches about 146 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 67 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Porto, Nice, Barcelona, Lisbon, Toulouse.

Main airlines: Transavia, Vueling, easyJet, Air France, Royal Air Maroc. See the full route map for ORY on AirportRoutes →

🏖️ Nice-Côte d’Azur (NCE)

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France’s third-busiest airport and the gateway to the French Riviera, Nice-Côte d’Azur sits right on the Mediterranean shore on partly reclaimed land, its runways reaching out into the sea beside the Promenade des Anglais. It serves Nice, the wider Côte d’Azur and nearby Monaco.

Serving Nice, NCE reaches about 107 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 32 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Paris, London, Madrid, Frankfurt, Amsterdam.

Main airlines: easyJet, Wizz Air, Volotea, Air Corsica, Norwegian. See the full route map for NCE on AirportRoutes →

🚄 Lyon Saint-Exupéry (LYS)

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Lyon-Saint-Exupéry is named after the aviator and “Little Prince” author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a Lyon native. Its TGV station — a soaring, bird-like concrete structure by architect Santiago Calatrava — plugs the airport straight into France’s high-speed rail network.

Serving Lyon, LYS reaches about 121 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 43 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Paris, Madrid, Frankfurt, Marrakesh, Lisbon.

Main airlines: easyJet, Transavia, Volotea, Air France, Air Algerie. See the full route map for LYS on AirportRoutes →

⚓ Marseille Provence (MRS)

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Marseille Provence is the largest airport in southern France and a key base for travel across the Mediterranean and North Africa. In 2006 it opened MP2, Europe’s first purpose-built low-cost terminal, helping turn Marseille into a budget-airline stronghold.

Serving Marseille, MRS reaches about 116 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 41 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Lisbon.

Main airlines: Ryanair, Volotea, Transavia, Air Algerie, Twin Jet. See the full route map for MRS on AirportRoutes →

🇨🇭 EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg (BSL)

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The EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is one of the world’s few truly binational airports. It sits on French soil near Mulhouse but is run jointly by France and Switzerland, with separate French and Swiss exits from the same building — so you can land in France and walk out into Switzerland. In effect it serves three countries: France, Switzerland and Germany.

Serving Basel/Mulhouse, BSL reaches about 92 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 26 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Munich, Pristina.

Main airlines: easyJet, Wizz Air, Lufthansa, Ryanair, Turkish Airlines. See the full route map for BSL on AirportRoutes →

🛩️ Toulouse-Blagnac (TLS)

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Toulouse-Blagnac is the home of Airbus: final-assembly lines for several Airbus jets sit right beside the runways, making it one of the most important airports in European aerospace as well as the main gateway to France’s southwest.

Serving Toulouse, TLS reaches about 78 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 23 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Paris, Madrid, London, Munich, Brussels.

Main airlines: Ryanair, easyJet, Transavia, Volotea, Lufthansa. See the full route map for TLS on AirportRoutes →

🌊 Nantes Atlantique (NTE)

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Nantes Atlantique is the busiest airport in western France, linking the Loire region and the Atlantic coast to a fast-growing network of European and North African routes.

Serving Nantes, NTE reaches about 85 regularly-served nonstop destinations, including roughly 23 intercontinental routes. Top destinations include Paris, Amsterdam, Lyon, Barcelona, Toulouse.

Main airlines: Volotea, easyJet, Transavia, Ryanair, Air France. See the full route map for NTE on AirportRoutes →

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