Charles de Gaulle International Airport opened on March 8, 1974, inaugurated by Prime Minister Pierre Messmer after eight years of construction on a site 23 km northeast of Paris in Roissy-en-France. Originally known as Paris Nord, it was renamed in October 1973 in honor of the French president who had died four years earlier. Today it is the busiest airport within the European Union, handling over 70 million passengers in 2024.

The airport was designed from the outset as an architectural statement. Terminal 1, the original structure, was conceived by architect Paul Andreu, who served as chief architect between 1967 and 2002. Its circular form, with a central core linked to 7 satellites by underground walkways, quickly earned the nickname "le Camembert." Terminal 2 followed in 1981, opening officially in March 1982 under President François Mitterrand, and has since expanded into a sprawling series of distinct halls designated 2A through 2G. A TGV station embedded within the Terminal 2 complex opened in 1994, connecting the airport directly to France's high-speed rail network.

CDG is the principal hub for Air France, which accounts for more than half the airport's traffic and connects Paris to over 200 destinations in nearly 100 countries. The airport is a cornerstone of the SkyTeam alliance network. Its cargo operation ranks second in Europe by volume. On January 21, 1976, less than 2 years after opening, CDG entered aviation history when Air France Concorde F-BVFA departed for Rio de Janeiro via Dakar, inaugurating the world's first scheduled supersonic passenger service. Concorde remained a regular presence at the airport until its retirement in 2003.