PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

The Philadelphia International Airport is a major contributor to our regional economy. It is responsible for generating $14 billion in revenue annually. Over 200 on-site businesses provide 34,000 jobs at the airport. The total number of jobs (indirect as well as direct employment) amount to nearly 132,000 in 2004.

According to the Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA), in 2005, the Philadelphia InternationalAirport experienced the ninth highest traffic volume of all airports in North America. See “Total Traffic Movements“. Philadelphia International Airport handles more flights daily than Newark International, JFK or LaGuardia. In 2005, the Airport served over 31 million passengers (including four million international passengers), moved over 600,000 tons of cargo, and served more than 536,000 takeoffs and landings. The Airport plays a critical role in our national mobility and accessibility. See “Purpose and Need & Alternatives Screening Process”.

FAA GOALS

● More Flights – The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) believes increased flight capacity at the Airport is a necessity. It believes shifting traffic to other existing airports or to alternative modes of transportation (e.g. Amtrak) will not be adequate for current or projected demand. See “Capacity Enhancement Program EIS”. Unfortunately, the studies cited by the FAA in support of their conclusions are not available at the FAA website for public examination and confirmation of the FAA’s beliefs.

● Less Delay – The FAA believes reduction in flight delays at the Philadelphia International Airport is necessary for both our airport and the wider U.S. airport system. The focus of these webpages is on changes here but some of flight delay is attributable to system factors that may not be resolved by any of the FAA’s proposals for the Airport. See “Last for Takeoff: Philadelphia Airport…” for a discussion of the causes of flight delay at the Airport.

Definitions

Capitalized terms not defined in the text are defined under the caption “Definitions”.

Links

Links to relevant information at other websites are imbedded in the text and also listed under Links.