Paris-Orly airport has been hit by flight cancellations and delays after the air traffic control systems suffered a malfunction, which caused widespread disruption

The nation's aviation authority blamed 'a failure of the air traffic control systems in the afternoon' for what it said had been a 'significant' reduction in the number of flights.

A control tower breakdown forced the cancellation of about 130 flights at Paris Orly airport Sunday, leaving thousands of passengers to scramble for alternative routes, officials said.