The baggage handling system located at Terminal 4 of Paris-Orly airport was fully operational shortly before 7:00pm yesterday. The mechanism had blocked after a failure that occurred in the morning and which had forced airport workers to sort the hand luggage. This had resulted in many flights being delayed, with passengers boarding without suitcases and trolleys.

"An unacceptable situation. This is exactly the sort of concrete thing we need to be careful of. When one link in the chain breaks, it creates a really big problem", said Transport Minister Clement Beaune. These words come just weeks after the French Government presented a series of proposals to improve the quality of service ahead of next year's Olympic Games. 

The inconvenience affected 10,000 passengers on 40 flights, according to the airport operator Aéroports de Paris, which manages the three airports in the capital (Paris-Orly, "Charles-de-Gaulle", Paris-Le Bourget). A surreal scene: after travelers were told yesterday to leave their bags to be embarked, blocking the entrance to the airport terminal, before being transferred to a hangar and embarked on subsequent flights.