It is named for World War II leader and French President Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970), whose initials form its IATA airport code.

Charles de Gaulle Airport serves as the principal hub for Air France and a destination for other legacy carriers (from Star Alliance, Oneworld and SkyTeam), as well as an operating base for easyJet and Norse Atlantic Airways.

[6] As of 2017[update], the airport offered direct flights to the most countries and hosts the most airlines in the world.

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport covers 32.38 square kilometres (12.50 sq mi) of land.

The airport area, including terminals and runways, spans over three départements and six communes: The choice of constructing an international aviation hub outside of central Paris was made due to a limited prospect of potential relocations or expropriations and the possibility of further expanding the airport in the future.

Until 2005, every PA announcement made at Terminal 1 was preceded by a distinctive chime, nicknamed "Indicatif Roissy" and composed by Bernard Parmegiani in 1971.

Terminal 2 was originally built exclusively for Air France;[9] since then it has been expanded significantly and now houses other airlines.

It consists of a circular terminal building which houses key functions such as check-in counters and baggage claim conveyors.

The majority of check-in counters, however, are located on the third floor, which also has access to taxi stands, bus stops and special pick-up vehicles.

Completed in 2023, the refurbishment included the creation of a new junction building linking satellites 1, 2 and 3, and modernisation of the central body of the terminal.

The CDGVAL inter-terminal shuttle train, Paris RER Regional-Express and high-speed TGV rail station, Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV, is located within the Terminal 2 complex and between 2C and 2E (on one side) or 2D and 2F (on the opposite side).

Before this accident, ADP had been planning for an initial public offering in 2005 with the new terminal as a major attraction for investors.

The partial collapse and indefinite closing of the terminal just before the beginning of summer seriously hurt the airport's business plan.

The inquiry found the concrete vaulted roof was not resilient enough and had been pierced by metallic pillars and some openings weakened the structure.

On 17 March 2005, ADP decided to tear down and rebuild the whole part of Terminal 2E (the "jetty") of which a section had collapsed, at a cost of approximately €100 million.

[20] The reconstruction replaced the innovative concrete tube style of the jetty with a more traditional steel and glass structure.

During reconstruction, two temporary departure lounges were constructed in the vicinity of the terminal that replicated the capacity of 2E before the collapse.

The completion of 750 m (2,460 ft) long Satellite 3 (or S3) to the immediate east of Terminals 2E and 2F provides further jetways for large-capacity airliners, specifically the Airbus A380.

Dedicated to long-haul flights, it has the ability to handle 16 aircraft at the same time, with an expected capacity of 7.8 million passengers per year.

Terminal 3 has no boarding gates constructed and all passengers are ferried by airport buses to the aircraft stands.

With an estimated cost of €9bn, the new terminal was to be built around 2025, when Charles de Gaulle Airport's maximum capacity of 80 million would have been reached.

[25][26] However, the Terminal 4 proposal was cancelled in 2021 due to reduced traffic resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and new environmental regulations making the project unfeasible.

"[26] Roissypôle is a complex consisting of office buildings, shopping areas, hotels, and a bus coach and RER B station within Charles de Gaulle Airport.

The complex includes the head office of Air France,[28] Continental Square,[29] the Hilton Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport,[30] and le Dôme building.

[33] The airport's terminals are served by a free automated shuttle rail system, consisting of two lines (CDGVAL and LISA).

CDGVAL (Charles de Gaulle Véhicule Automatique Léger, English: Charles de Gaulle light automatic vehicle) links Terminal 1, parking lot PR, Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1 RER station (located inside Roissypôle and next to Terminal 3), Parking lot PX, and the Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV and RER station located between Terminals 2C, 2D, 2E, and 2F LISA (Liaison Interne Satellite Aérogare, English: Connection internal satellite terminal) links Terminal 2E to the Satellite S3 (L Gates) and Satellite S4 (M Gates).

Charles de Gaulle Airport is connected to central Paris by the RER B, a hybrid suburban commuter and rapid transit line.

The service has two stations on the airport grounds:[233] During most times, there are two types of services that operate on the RER B between Charles de Gaulle airport and Paris: The RER B has historically suffered from slowness and overcrowding, so French authorities are building CDG Express, a train service that will operate non-stop from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Paris Gare de l'Est railway station (next to Gare du Nord) starting in 2027.

[234] The new line is expected to take airline customers off RER B, making room for local passengers, and divert to rail 15% of automobile trips to the airport.

Beauvais airport has no railway connections, but there is a shuttle bus to central Paris 15 times daily.